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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐲
...🏀...
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋
𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓
𝐈 hurled a shirt into my bag, the fabric slipping from my fingers without me even noticing. I was hardly paying attention to anything around me—the familiar hum of the refrigerator, the faint aroma of coffee lingering in the air, the relentless ticking of the clock on the wall, a persistent reminder that time waits for no one. I felt like I was floating, detached from everything. I needed something to ground me, to pull me back to earth.
My eyes wandered over to the clutter of mail scattered across the island—bills in their telltale envelopes, a brightly colored flyer for a new pizza place that had just opened down the street. And then, amid the chaos, a plain white envelope caught my eye. My name was scrawled on it in a familiar hand, and there was no return address.
Just the sight of it sent a shiver up my spine.
My frown deepened as I picked it up, feeling a strange heaviness settle in the pit of my stomach. I flipped it over; its stark simplicity made my heart beat faster. With fingers that suddenly felt clumsy, I tore it open. The sound of ripping paper seemed deafening in the otherwise silent room, a jarring noise that echoed off the walls. I unfolded the letter inside, my breath catching as I read the words that stopped my heart.
Mylah,
You think you can move on. After I was gracious enough to give you four months to say your goodbyes and return to me. Instead, you moved on to him!
You belong to me, Mylah.
Is his death what you want on your conscience? Because I will kill him for touching you because no one touches what is mine.
If you care about him, you will let him go before it's too late. This will be your final warning. And if you ignore me again...his death will be your fault, Mylah.
-Andrew
My blood turned to ice as I stood frozen, the letter shaking. The bright sunlight that poured through the window felt like a cruel joke, highlighting the creeping shadows of fear enveloping me.
"Mylah, you ready to go?" Haley's voice shattered the stillness, her footsteps approaching.
I shoved the letter into my bag, turning to face her with a forced smile. "Yeah, just a minute."
Haley's eyes narrowed. "You sure you're okay? You look...off."
"I'm fine," I lied, the words tasting bitter. "Just some junk mail."
She didn't believe me, but she nodded. "Alright. I'll be in the car."
I inhaled deeply, hoping to calm the wild drumming of my heart, but my pulse thrummed in my ears, refusing to quiet. The steady tick of the clock and the low hum of the refrigerator only served as a backdrop to the anxiety gnawing at my insides. Each tick felt like a countdown, a reminder that time was slipping through my fingers and that Andrew's threats were looming closer than ever. I looked down at the necklace Nathan had given me, the moonstone gleaming softly in the dim light, casting a fragile sense of comfort over my turmoil.
