THE FIRST THREAT
388 Words
Chapter 6: The First Threat
Emily tried to put the unsettling feeling behind her, but it lingered wherever she went.
The following Monday, she arrived at the office earlier than usual. As she unlocked her desk drawer, she noticed a small white envelope resting inside.
Her name was written on the front.
There was no sender.
Confused, she opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
Her heart nearly stopped.
It was the picture taken a few nights earlier—the one of Ethan comforting her outside her apartment.
On the back, someone had written in bold black ink:
Stay away from your brother-in-law... or everyone will know your secret.
Emily's hands trembled as the note slipped onto her desk.
"Emily?"
She quickly turned the photograph face down as her coworker, Sarah, approached.
"Are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm... I'm fine," Emily lied.
But she wasn't.
How could someone know about feelings she had never confessed to anyone?
That evening, Emily couldn't keep the fear to herself. She called Ethan.
"Can we meet?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"Of course. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
They met at a quiet café near her apartment.
The moment Ethan saw her face, his smile faded.
"What happened?"
Without saying a word, Emily slid the photograph and the note across the table.
Ethan read the message, his jaw tightening.
"This isn't a joke," he said quietly.
"I know."
"Have you told Olivia?"
Emily immediately shook her head.
"No. I don't want to worry her."
Ethan leaned back, thinking carefully.
"Someone has been following us for weeks. Whoever this is wants to scare you."
"Or destroy us," Emily whispered.
He looked at her seriously.
"We haven't done anything wrong."
His words were meant to comfort her, but Emily's guilt only grew heavier.
She knew her feelings were wrong, even if she had never acted on them.
As they left the café, neither of them noticed a hooded figure sitting in a parked car across the street.
The stranger lowered a camera after taking another picture.
This time, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"They're walking right into the trap," he murmured.
Then he started the engine and disappeared into the night, leaving Emily and Ethan completely unaware that the greatest threat to their family was only beginning to reveal itself.
- Writer
