Chapter 19 – When Fear Follows You
877 Words
Evelyn didn’t remember how long she stayed curled against the wall, the phone still trembling in her hand. The apartment felt smaller now, claustrophobic, as if the walls themselves were closing in to suffocate her.
She forced herself to stand, though her knees were weak and her shoulders stiff. She needed to stay alert. She needed to be prepared.
Liam still hadn’t messaged her.
That thought alone made her feel sick.
She walked to the living room window and peeked through the curtains. The street below looked calm—cars passing, students walking, an elderly couple arguing over groceries. Everything appeared normal.
But her world wasn’t normal anymore.
Her phone buzzed with a sudden notification. Her chest tightened again—but it was just her calendar reminding her of tomorrow’s morning class.
She didn’t know whether she would survive until tomorrow.
She stepped away from the window and walked to Liam’s room—his study, his refuge, the one place he kept locked whenever he was doing something “important”. But last night, he forgot to lock it.
And now, she needed answers.
Evelyn pressed her hand against the doorknob. It turned easily. Her breath hitched.
Inside, the room was exactly how Liam always kept it: neat, organized, quiet. Books lined the shelves, the desk lamp angled perfectly, papers stacked with obsessive precision. His laptop sat in the middle like a heart waiting to beat.
She moved toward it hesitantly.
If Liam were here, he wouldn’t let her touch anything.
But Liam wasn’t here.
And she needed the truth.
She pressed the power button.
The screen lit up, and a login window appeared. Password required.
She sighed in frustration. Of course.
She tried the first things that came to mind:
His birthday.
Her birthday.
Their anniversary.
The name of his hometown.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Then she paused, remembering something.
He once told her she was his “safe place”.
Her fingers typed slowly.
safeplace
The screen unlocked.
Evelyn’s heart nearly stopped.
She didn’t know whether to feel flattered or horrified that this worked.
The desktop loaded. Dozens of folders. Many were labeled with numbers, some with letters, some with symbols she didn’t recognize.
She clicked one labeled “Archive A”.
Inside were hundreds of images—people, building entrances, license plates, street photos from around the city. Some were ordinary; some looked like they were taken secretly, from a distance, or through windows.
Her hands turned cold.
Why did Liam have these?
She clicked on a random image.
A man in a gray hoodie, standing in a parking lot, his face turned away from the camera.
Her blood froze.
She recognized the posture, the height—
It looked like the man from last night.
Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.
Was Liam following him?
Or was he following Liam?
Then she noticed something else in the corner of the photo.
A building.
Her building.
Her floor.
Her door.
Evelyn stumbled back from the desk, one hand over her mouth. Her mind spun, her breath uneven. She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like the ground beneath her was shifting.
Why was Liam watching this man?
Why did the man appear at her door?
Why would someone message her telling her not to trust the man who returned at midnight?
She lifted the phone again and opened her messages, scrolling back to the unknown number’s words:
“He’s not the man you think he is.”
She shut her eyes tightly.
No.
She couldn’t believe that.
She refused to.
Liam protected her.
Liam loved her.
Liam would never—
A sudden knock echoed from the front door.
Evelyn flinched violently, the breath knocked from her lungs.
One knock.
Soft.
Too gentle to be random.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she stood slowly, forcing herself toward the living room. She peeked through the peephole, expecting the worst—
But no one was there.
She stepped back, confusion rippling through her.
Had she imagined it?
Then something slid under the door.
A small white card.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
She crouched slowly and picked it up. Words were printed in black ink, neat and cold:
“You’re next.”
Her fingers turned numb around the card.
Someone was playing with her. Someone who knew where she lived, who watched her, who had stood at her door last night, who called her this morning.
Someone who knew Liam.
Maybe someone Liam had been investigating.
Evelyn backed away until her legs hit the sofa and she sank down helplessly. Tears pooled in her eyes—not from weakness, but from pure, overwhelming fear.
She needed Liam.
She needed him right now.
Her phone buzzed again.
Her breath caught.
A message from an unknown number:
“He lied to you.”
Her vision blurred as she typed with shaking hands.
“What do you want from me?”
No answer.
Then her phone buzzed again, and she felt her entire chest collapse.
This time… it was Liam.
“Evelyn, whatever happens, don’t leave the apartment. I’m coming back tonight.”
She stared at the message.
Her fear twisted into something even darker.
The man who returned at midnight…
Liam…
Was coming back tonight.
- Writer
