The Stalker Between US

CHapter 21

Ethan POV

Sometimes I catch myself imagining what it would be like to share a home with Julia—not just crashing at each other’s places after long shifts, but really living together. Waking up to her sleepy smile every morning, making coffee side by side, arguing about whose turn it is to take out the recycling. I think about filling our place with the clutter of two lives merging: her medical textbooks stacked on the table, my sneakers by the door, the smell of her favorite tea lingering in the kitchen. I want that. I want the ordinary mess of loving her, the comfort of knowing she’s just down the hall.

But lately, every plan I make, every hope for our future, is shadowed by worry. I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s watching her—us. The messages, the calls, the sense that there’s always a pair of eyes lurking just out of sight. I replay everything in my head, trying to piece together who could be behind it. Is it someone from her past? A patient’s family, maybe, holding a grudge? Or is it someone closer—someone who sees her every day at the hospital, blending in, hiding in plain sight.

Finally, as winter settled in, I sat with Julia in her apartment, snow falling softly outside, a rare peace settling between us. We talked about moving in together, about taking the next step despite the risks. The thought filled Julia with hope—and, I could tell, a measure of fear. I squeezed her hand, promising her that we would face whatever came, side by side.

The stalker, meanwhile, seethed in the shadows. Each act of sabotage brought less satisfaction as Julia and Ethan’s love grew. The jealousy burning hotter, his obsession deepening into something darker. But Julia and I were determined to live our lives, refusing to be driven apart.