Episode 6
317 Words
EPISODE 6: The Listening Door
The creak froze us both.
Cameron’s hand was still on my waist, his breath brushing my cheek, but his eyes flicked toward the door like he’d just heard a gun c**k.
I held my breath, straining for another sound.
Nothing.
Just silence—too heavy, too deliberate.
Cameron’s voice was a whisper now. “Someone’s there.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. “Go.”
He hesitated, jaw tightening, but finally stepped back and moved toward the bathroom door that connected to the hallway. “Lock it behind me,” he said, and slipped out.
The guest room felt cavernous in the sudden emptiness.
I stood there, barely breathing, ears tuned for the faintest movement.
But the hallway stayed quiet.
Too quiet.
I told myself it was nothing.
Maybe just the house settling.
Maybe one of Liam’s parents heading to bed.
But when I finally dared to crack the door, the hallway was empty—except for one thing.
On the carpet, just a few feet away, was a small silver cufflink.
Liam’s.
My stomach lurched.
It didn’t prove he’d been there—just that he’d been upstairs.
But I knew Liam. He didn’t misplace things. Ever.
I put it on the nightstand like I could pretend it meant nothing.
Like I could pretend my lips didn’t still taste like Cameron.
When Liam came in later, he was smiling. Casual.
Too casual.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “Traffic was a nightmare.”
He didn’t mention the cufflink.
Didn’t mention the hallway.
And I didn’t ask.
But that night, I lay in bed wide awake beside him, every muscle wound tight, knowing one thing for certain—
If he had heard, he wouldn’t come for me right away.
No.
Liam was the kind of man who waited until the perfect moment to strike.
- Writer
