Obsessed

Chapter 21

The late afternoon sun bled gold across the windshield as Mark’s truck hummed steadily down the quiet road back toward the station. The air was still, thick with everything left unsaid between them after the asylum visit. Ronnie sat in the passenger seat, her arms folded tightly in her lap. She stared out the window, watching the trees pass in a blur of autumn rust and amber, her fingers picking nervously at the edge of her sleeves.

She cleared her throat softly. “I know Gale told you… about Theo’s father.”

Mark’s jaw tensed. His grip on the steering wheel subtly tightened, knuckles going pale against the black leather. He didn’t look at her, but his voice was calm. Steady.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready.”

Ronnie turned her head toward him, studying the way his eyes stayed locked on the road, focused and unreadable. She sank back into her seat with a small exhale, trying to make her voice cooperate.

“I was going to tell you,” she said quietly. “Eventually. I just didn’t know how.”

Mark nodded, still not looking away from the road. “You don’t owe me anything, Ronnie. Not that kind of pain.”

“It’s not about owing,” she said, the words coming quicker now, as though they might get stuck if she didn’t let them out fast enough. “It’s just… every time I like someone, and it starts to get serious—like we take that next step—they vanish. Ghost me. Like clockwork.”

Mark flicked his turn signal and eased the car into the right lane. “They couldn’t handle you?” he asked simply.

Ronnie gave a soft, bitter laugh. “Or I’m the common denominator.”

“Don’t do that.”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she stared at the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of herself—blue eyes, pale skin, hair pulled up hastily. Always trying to keep it together. Always bracing for the worst.

“I’ve been so focused on Theo,” she said after a moment. “He needs me. And honestly, it’s easier that way. I don’t have to wonder if I’m going to be left behind again.”

Mark finally looked at her, just briefly, but it was enough. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She looked down at her sleeves again, her fingers now twisting the fabric into tight little folds. “That night in the kitchen...”

“I remember,” he said.

“I wanted to kiss you,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “But I froze. Because what if you’re different and I mess it up? Or what if you’re just like the others and disappear?”

“I’m not like them,” Mark said. “And I’m not going to disappear.”

His voice was so sure, so quiet and certain that it made her chest tighten.

“I enjoy having you around,” she said. “More than I want to admit. I'm just... Scared.”

He smiled faintly, his eyes softening as they returned to the road. “Then I’ll be whatever you need me to be. If that means a friend, I’ll be your friend. If you need time, I’ll give you time.”

Ronnie’s shoulders lowered just slightly. “You mean that?”

“I do.”

Silence settled over them again, but this time it wasn’t heavy. It was peaceful. Like something had shifted between them. Not a conclusion, not a beginning—but a moment of truth. A shared understanding.

Mark reached over at the next red light and gently tapped her hand, just once.

“You don’t scare me, Veronica Summers,” he said.

A slow, genuine smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

The light turned green, and the car rolled forward again, the road stretching ahead, open and uncertain—but no longer so lonely.

Back at the station, the mood was quieter than usual. The buzz of phones and clicking keyboards echoed faintly in the background as Mark and Ronnie entered the bullpen. She offered a small wave to Jackson, who was half-asleep at his desk with an empty coffee cup in one hand.

Ronnie moved straight to her desk and began gathering her things—shoving her notebook, tablet, and a half-empty water bottle into her bag. “I’m heading out. I need to pick up Theo before aftercare ends.”

Mark nodded, watching her, but didn’t press. “Text me when you’re home.”

“I will,” she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Outside, the air had cooled. A soft breeze rustled the trees as she climbed into her car and headed toward Theodore’s school. Traffic wasn’t bad, and her mind kept wandering back to the car ride back to the station with Mark, his words and understanding.

She shook the thought away and focused on Theo. He was waiting outside the school doors with his usual backpack and a clipboard in hand, scribbling notes about clouds. When he spotted her, he lit up and ran over.

“Hi, Ronnie!”

“Hey, bud,” she said, smiling as he hopped into the front seat. “Good day?”

“I got a sticker for helping clean the Lego bin!” he said proudly, holding it up. It was a sparkly green dinosaur.

“A well-earned honor,” she said playfully, starting the car.

They turned into the neighborhood just ten minutes later, the sun dipping lower and casting long shadows across the front lawns. As she pulled into the driveway, Theo squinted through the windshield and pointed.

“There’s a package on the porch.”

Ronnie blinked and looked up.

Sure enough, sitting dead center on the welcome mat was a medium-sized cardboard box. But something about it made her stomach knot. There were no markings—no shipping labels, no return address, no branding. Just plain, unbroken tan cardboard, sealed with crisp strips of tape.

“I didn’t order anything…” she murmured.

Theo was already unbuckling his seatbelt. “Maybe it’s a surprise!”

“Wait,” Ronnie said quickly. “Stay in the car for a minute, okay?”

Theo frowned. “But I—”

“Please, Theo. I mean it. Just wait in the car. I’ll check it out first.”

He must’ve heard something in her voice, because he didn’t argue again. He slowly nodded and sat back down, watching her closely from the passenger side.

Ronnie stepped out and quietly closed the car door behind her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she slipped her phone from her bag. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she stared at the box. Something about it felt... wrong. Too deliberate. Too careful.

She didn’t hesitate. She dialed the only number she trusted in that moment.

Mark picked up on the first ring. “Ronnie?”

Her voice shook, barely above a whisper. “There’s a box. On my porch. It’s not labeled—it doesn’t look like a regular package.”

“Don’t touch it,” Mark said immediately. His voice was sharp now, clipped and tense. “Get back in the car. Get you and Theo somewhere safe. I’ll call the bomb squad and be there in ten minutes.”

“I’ll take him to Gale and Marvin’s,” she said, already turning back toward the car. “I don’t want him to see this.”

“Good call,” Mark said. “I’ll handle everything. Just go.”

She nodded even though he couldn’t see her and hung up. Her fingers were still trembling as she opened the car door again.

Theo looked up, confused. “Are we not going inside?”

“Nope,” Ronnie said, forcing her voice to stay calm. “Change of plans. We’re going to Gale and Marvin’s for a bit.”

“Okay…” Theo said slowly. “But what about the box?”

“It’s nothing,” she said. “Just a mistake, I think.”

But her gut said otherwise.

As she pulled out of the driveway and drove off toward her uncles’ place, she glanced in the rearview mirror. The sun caught the edge of the package—still there. Still untouched.

She didn’t know what was in it. But whatever it was, she had the overwhelming sense that it wasn’t meant for Theo. It was meant for her.

And whoever sent it knew exactly what they were doing.