Chapter Seven: They know your name
1171 Words
Sienna didn’t check her phone right away.
She told herself she wouldn’t.
That whatever was happening out there—on screens, in comments, in places she didn’t belong—had nothing to do with her.
But that wasn’t true.
She knew it the moment she woke up.
She felt it in the silence.
In the way everything seemed… heavier.
---
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Sienna stared at it for a long moment.
Then reached for it.
---
The screen lit up.
Notifications.
Too many.
From apps she barely used.
From people she didn’t know.
From accounts she had never seen before.
---
Her stomach tightened.
Slowly—
She opened one.
---
**@starwatcher99:**
*Who is this girl?? She looks so basic lol*
---
Another.
**@eclipsefan_01:**
*He was smiling at her… I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that*
---
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Scrolling.
Faster.
---
**@staywithsoo:**
*She’s definitely using him. No way this is random*
---
**@eclipseforever:**
*Find her. I want her name.*
---
Sienna stopped breathing.
---
More comments.
Hundreds now.
Thousands.
---
**@protectourleader:**
*She better not hurt him*
---
**@whoisshe123:**
*Someone said she works at a bookstore?? Anyone know where?*
---
Her heart dropped.
---
“No…”
The word came out barely above a whisper.
---
She clicked on one of the posts.
The photo again.
Clearer this time.
Edited.
Zoomed.
Her face visible.
His expression softer than she’d ever seen it before.
Looking at her like—
---
Sienna locked her phone.
Her chest felt tight.
Too tight.
Like she couldn’t breathe properly.
---
This wasn’t just rumors anymore.
This wasn’t just curiosity.
---
This was real.
---
Her phone buzzed again.
She flinched.
For a second, she didn’t want to look.
Didn’t want to know how much worse it had gotten.
But she already knew—
It would be worse.
---
She opened it anyway.
---
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:**
*You think you’re special?*
---
Her stomach twisted.
---
Another message.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:**
*Stay away from him.*
---
Her hands started to shake.
---
This wasn’t just online anymore.
---
This was reaching her.
Directly.
---
Sienna stood up too quickly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor.
The sound echoed in the quiet apartment.
Too loud.
Too sharp.
---
She paced once.
Twice.
Trying to think.
Trying to breathe.
---
Her phone buzzed again.
She didn’t check it.
She couldn’t.
---
Instead, she grabbed her jacket.
Her keys.
Anything to get out of the suffocating silence.
---
The bookstore.
She needed to go there.
---
It was early.
Too early to open.
But she unlocked the door anyway.
Stepping inside like it might somehow feel safe again.
---
It didn’t.
---
The same shelves.
The same quiet.
The same window seat.
---
But it felt different now.
Exposed.
---
Sienna locked the door behind her.
Just in case.
She didn’t know why.
But it made her feel… slightly better.
---
Her phone buzzed again.
Relentless.
---
She hesitated.
Then finally looked.
---
This time—
It wasn’t an unknown number.
---
**Soohyun.**
---
Her breath caught.
---
She stared at the name.
At the screen.
At everything that had changed overnight.
---
It rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
---
She answered.
---
“Sienna—”
His voice.
Familiar.
But strained.
Tense.
Different.
---
“I told you not to check your phone,” he said quickly.
Sienna let out a quiet, shaky breath.
“A little late for that.”
Silence.
Then—
“…I’m sorry.”
---
The apology hit harder than it should have.
---
“They know where I work,” she said.
No emotion.
Just fact.
---
On the other end—
She heard him exhale sharply.
“…I know.”
Her chest tightened.
“You *know*?”
“We’re trying to contain it.”
“We?”
“My company.”
---
Sienna let out a small, humorless laugh.
“Right.”
Of course.
His world.
His people.
His control.
---
“They won’t get close to you,” he said.
“They already have.”
Her voice cracked slightly.
She hated that.
---
A pause.
Then—
“Stay inside today.”
The words weren’t a suggestion.
They were an order.
---
Sienna frowned.
“I have a job, Soohyun.”
“I know.”
“Then I can’t just—”
“I’ll handle it.”
---
That made something in her snap.
---
“No.”
The word came out sharper than she expected.
---
Silence.
---
“I’m not something you can ‘handle,’” she said.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then how did you mean it?”
---
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that hesitation—
Said everything.
---
“I don’t need protection,” she continued, her voice quieter now but steadier. “I need this to stop.”
“I’m trying.”
“It’s not working.”
---
Another pause.
Longer this time.
---
“Sienna…”
Her name sounded different now.
Heavier.
Like it carried more weight than before.
---
“This is why I told you to be careful,” he said.
---
She swallowed.
Hard.
---
“And this is why I told you not to come back.”
---
Silence.
Thick.
Unavoidable.
---
Outside, the rain started again.
Soft at first.
Then steady.
---
“I’ll come by later,” he said.
Sienna froze.
“No.”
---
Another pause.
---
“No?” he repeated.
---
“You shouldn’t come here anymore.”
---
The words hung between them.
Sharp.
Final.
---
“Sienna—”
“They’re already looking for me,” she said. “What do you think happens if they see you here again?”
---
He didn’t answer.
---
Because he knew.
---
“I’m serious,” she added. “Don’t come.”
---
Her grip tightened around the phone.
---
“For once,” she said quietly, “do what’s best for both of us.”
---
Silence.
---
Then—
“…Okay.”
---
The word felt wrong.
Too easy.
Too quick.
---
“I’ll stay away,” he said.
---
Sienna’s chest tightened painfully.
---
She didn’t expect it to hurt this much.
---
“Good,” she whispered.
---
Neither of them hung up.
---
For a second—
It felt like maybe one of them would say something else.
Something that mattered.
Something that would fix this.
---
But nothing came.
---
And then—
The call ended.
---
Sienna lowered the phone slowly.
The bookstore was quiet again.
But not safe.
Not anymore.
---
She looked toward the window.
At the place he always sat.
At the place that used to feel like his.
---
Now—
It just felt empty.
---
Her phone buzzed again.
Another notification.
Another reminder.
---
This time—
She didn’t check it.
---
Because she already knew.
---
Everything had changed.
---
And this time—
There was no going back.
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