Divorced But Obsessed

Shadows Closing In

They’re getting closer. I can feel it in my bones.

I walked home from the bookstore that evening with my hand protectively over my growing belly. The coastal breeze felt colder than usual. “They’re getting closer, aren’t they?” I whispered to my baby. “But I won’t let them find us. I promise.”

The small town had become my safe haven over the past weeks. I had settled into a simple routine. Work at the bookstore during the day. Quiet evenings talking to my baby. But the fear never left me.

“Morning, Ivy,” Sarah, the bookstore owner, greeted me the next day with a warm smile. “You’re glowing more every week. How far along are you now?”

I forced a smile as I shelved books. “Almost three months. It’s been a rough start but we’re doing okay.”

Sarah leaned on the counter. “You know you can talk to me, right? You showed up here with almost nothing. No family around. It must be hard.”

I hesitated, fingers tightening on a book. “It is hard. The father… he’s complicated. He doesn’t want us the way I hoped.”

Sarah’s eyes softened. “Men like that don’t deserve women like you. You’re building something beautiful here. Don’t forget that.”

Her words brought tears to my eyes. “Thank you. I needed to hear that today.”

Later that afternoon I felt a sharp pain in my side. It was mild at first but it scared me enough to call the local clinic.

The nurse on the phone was kind. “Come in right away, honey. We’ll check everything.”

I sat in the small exam room later, heart racing. The doctor listened to the baby’s heartbeat and smiled.

“Everything looks good,” he said. “Just some round ligament pain. Common in pregnancy. But you should rest more.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Thank you. I was so scared something was wrong.”

As I left the clinic I noticed a black car parked across the street. My stomach dropped. I hurried home, locking the door behind me.

“Stay calm,” I whispered to myself. “It could be nothing.”

But I knew better. Dylan’s reach was long.

What I didn’t know was that hundreds of miles away Dylan was losing his mind.

He sat in his study surrounded by screens, watching old hospital videos of me caring for him during the coma. My voice filled the room as I read to him, sang softly, and whispered promises.

Marcus, his advisor, stood nearby. “Dylan, you’ve watched these tapes twenty times this week. You need to sleep.”

Dylan didn’t look away from the screen. “She was there every day, Marcus. Every single day. I treated her like garbage when I woke up. I told her Eva was the only woman I loved. What the hell was I thinking?”

Marcus hesitated. “You were scared. Angry at the world for stealing those years. But pushing Ivy away was a mistake.”

Dylan slammed his fist on the desk. “I know that now. I need to find her. She’s carrying my child and I drove her away.”

Eva walked into the room at that moment, her smile too perfect. “Dylan, darling. You should eat something. Let me take care of you.”

He barely glanced at her. “Not now, Eva.”

She stepped closer. “This obsession isn’t healthy. Ivy left. Maybe it’s time to focus on us again.”

Dylan finally looked at her, eyes narrowing. “Us? I’ve been reviewing old security files. There are things that don’t add up about my accident. Things that point to you being involved.”

Eva’s face paled. “What are you talking about? I loved you. I still love you.”

“Save it,” Dylan snapped. “I want the truth. But right now I need to find Ivy. My investigators have a lead in a coastal town. I’m flying out tonight.”

Back in my quiet apartment I tried to rest but the worry kept me awake. I touched my belly and spoke softly to my baby.

“Your daddy is a complicated man. He has so much anger inside him. But I hope one day he learns how to love us properly. Until then it’s just you and me against the world.”

The next morning I felt eyes on me again as I walked to work. I turned quickly but saw nothing. Still, the paranoia grew stronger.

At the bookstore Sarah noticed my tension. “You keep looking out the window. Is someone bothering you?”

I hesitated, then decided to trust her a little. “The father of my baby. He’s powerful. I left him because he hurt me badly. I’m scared he might find me.”

Sarah’s expression turned serious. “If he comes here, we’ll handle it. You’re not alone anymore.”

Her words gave me strength, but the fear remained. That evening as I locked up the store I saw the black car again. This time a man in a suit stepped out and looked directly at me.

I hurried home, heart racing. I called Lily immediately.

“He’s close,” I said when she answered. “I can feel it. Someone was watching me today.”

Lily’s voice was urgent. “Pack a new bag. I’m coming to get you tonight. We’ll move you somewhere safer.”

I started throwing things into a bag when my phone rang with an unknown number. I answered with trembling hands.

“Ivy.” Dylan’s voice was low and rough. “I know you’re there. Don’t hang up.”

I froze. “How did you get this number?”

“I have my ways,” he said. “You’re pregnant with my child and you ran. Come home. We can figure this out.”

Tears filled my eyes. “Figure what out? You made it clear I was just a contract wife. You said Eva was the only woman you loved. I won’t raise our baby in that environment.”

There was a long silence. When he spoke again his voice sounded different. Almost broken. “I was wrong. About a lot of things. Eva… there are things I discovered. But none of that matters right now. You and the baby need to be safe. With me.”

“I don’t trust you,” I whispered. “Not anymore.”

“Then let me earn it back,” he said urgently. “Please, Ivy. Don’t make me come there and drag you home.”

I hung up the phone with shaking hands. Minutes later Lily arrived and we left the apartment quickly.

As we drove away from the town I looked back one last time. “He’s coming. I know it.”

What I didn’t expect was how close he already was.

At the small airport nearby Dylan stepped off his private plane, eyes burning with determination. “Find her,” he told his security team. “She’s here. I can feel it.”

The chase was no longer distant. It had arrived at my doorstep.

And I had no idea how I would protect my heart and my baby when he finally caught me.