The Stalker Between US

Chapter 23

In the darkness of a cluttered apartment, the stalker paced back and forth, his rage mounting with every step. Each thought burned hotter than the last as he imagined Julia in Ethan’s arms, giving herself to the man who had stolen her away. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was meant for him, not for the arrogant CEO who paraded her around the city. He clenched his fists, knuckles whitening, as jealousy twisted inside him like a knife.

He replayed every moment he’d observed, every detail he’d collected—her laugh, her routines, the way she looked at Ethan. The knowledge that she had crossed that final line, that she had chosen to share the most intimate part of herself with someone else, was unbearable. “It should have been me,” he muttered, voice trembling with anger and longing. “She belongs to me. Only me.”

Julia, meanwhile, felt a chill settle into her bones despite the warmth of Ethan’s embrace in the days that followed. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, a prickling sense that left her checking windows and locks twice over. It was more than just nerves—something in the air felt changed, more dangerous, as if the shadows themselves had become hostile.

One morning, Julia found a note slipped under her door. The handwriting was jagged, the message clear: I know what you did. You think he loves you, but you were supposed to be mine. Julia stared at the words, her heart hammering in her chest. The fear that someone had been close enough to witness what she and Ethan shared—something so private, so sacred—sent a wave of dread through her.

She confided in Ethan, her voice shaking as she showed him the note. “How could he possibly know?” she whispered, clutching her robe tighter. “What if he’s been watching, even when we’re alone?” The violation was almost too much to bear, making her feel exposed in her own home.

Ethan’s protective instincts surged—he promised to double down on security, to keep her safe no matter what. But Julia knew, deep down, that the stalker’s anger had reached a new, unhinged level. She and Ethan were no longer just being watched; they were being targeted, and the threat now felt terrifyingly close.