Only i can hurt you

Chapter 2 – The Note

The fourth ring cut through the silence, sharper than the rest. My chest tightened. I already knew what it meant. He had come again.

Before I could move, her voice came from behind me. Cold. Sharp. My stepmother.

“What are you running for now? You think someone important is at the door for you?”

Her words made my stomach twist. If she reached the door before me, if she saw the note he always left, it would be worse than the stalker himself. She would never believe the truth. To her, a note meant only one thing—that I had a lover. That I was hiding something shameful.

I hurried down the stairs, ignoring the pain in my ankle. My only thought was to grab the note before she did. If she found it first, I knew what would follow. Accusations. Yelling. Maybe worse. She always found a reason to hate me, and this note would be another weapon in her hands.

When I opened the door, the night air rushed in, cold and heavy. At first, I saw nothing. Then, on the step, I noticed it—folded paper, small and waiting. My heart sank.

Behind me, I heard her footsteps. “Who is it? Show me.”

I bent quickly, hiding the note in my palm before she could see. But I knew she was watching me, her suspicion sharper than the winter wind outside.

I forced myself to look out one more time into the darkness. The street was empty, silent, but I felt eyes on me. Watching. Waiting.

With a shaky breath, I closed the door.