Days passed, and Tania hadn’t left the house since Ethan’s press conference. She had tried calling him dozens of times, but he never answered. He wasn’t coming home anymore, and the silence was driving her mad. She couldn’t sit still, her mind replaying Ethan’s words over and over. “I never loved Tania.”
Finally, the walls of her home felt too suffocating. She decided to go out, hoping a walk would clear her head. She stepped outside, taking in the quiet streets, her nerves still frayed. But the fresh air did little to calm her.
As she strolled down the deserted street, a car suddenly roared to life in the distance. Tania glanced up, startled by the sound. The car sped toward her, and she instinctively stepped to the side, thinking the driver was in a hurry. But something felt wrong. The car reversed, tires screeching, and sped straight toward her again.
Tania’s heart pounded in her chest as she quickly moved to the side again, narrowly avoiding the car. “What the…?” she muttered, her pulse racing. She turned to confront the driver, but the windows were tinted. She couldn’t see who was behind the wheel.
Before she could process what was happening, the car reversed once more, this time accelerating even faster, aiming directly at her. Panic surged through her, and she screamed, her legs trembling as she tried to run. But her heels made it impossible to move quickly.
The car sped toward her, and Tania barely managed to dodge out of the way, her heart hammering in her chest. She bolted down the street, her eyes wide with terror. She could hear the car’s engine roaring behind her, gaining speed. Desperate, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
As she ran, she stumbled, her foot catching on the uneven pavement. She fell hard, scraping her knees and hands. Pain shot through her, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She looked back in horror as the car revved its engine again, the headlights blinding her. “No, please!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!”
The car stopped just inches from her trembling body. Tania sobbed, her chest heaving with fear. She lay on the ground, shaking uncontrollably, her mind racing with terror. Whoever was in that car wanted her dead, and she didn’t know why.
The engine revved one last time before the car suddenly turned and drove off, leaving Tania lying on the ground, paralyzed with fear. She stayed there for what felt like an eternity, her body shaking, her mind spinning. Someone was after her, and she had no idea who.
When she finally managed to stand, her legs were weak, and her entire body ached. She stumbled back to her house, her heart still pounding in her chest. As she closed the door behind her, she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She wasn’t safe anymore.
Who was that, she thought, her mind still racing with fear ” I almost died, I…I…. she said to herself sobbing on the floor.
Tania lay on the floor for what felt like hours, her body trembling with the aftershocks of fear. Her hands were scraped, her knees bruised from the fall, and her mind raced with panic. Every sound, every creak in the house made her flinch, her paranoia rising with each passing minute. She felt utterly alone, vulnerable, and powerless. The tears wouldn’t stop, her sobs echoing in the empty room.
Who was that? she thought again, her mind replaying the horrifying chase. Why are they after me?
The image of the car, speeding toward her with murderous intent, flashed before her eyes. She had never been so close to death. And the worst part was, she had no idea who was behind the wheel or what they wanted from her.
Just then, her phone buzzed loudly on the floor where it had fallen when she ran inside the house after the chase. The sudden noise made her jump, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. With trembling hands, she reached for it, terrified of what she might see. For a fleeting moment, she hoped it was Ethan, that maybe just maybe he had realized she needed him, that he would come to her rescue.
But when she picked up the phone and unlocked it, her blood ran cold.
A new message appeared from an unknown number:
Do you think you deserve to live? How much is your life worth?
Tania’s breath caught in her throat. The words blurred as her tears fell harder, her chest tightening with terror. Whoever was after her was taunting her now, making her relive the fear, reminding her that she wasn’t safe.
Her hands shook violently as she stared at the message, her mind spiraling out of control. Who could it be? Was it Ella? Was this her revenge for everything? Or was it someone else entirely someone she had wronged in the past? There were too many possibilities, too many enemies she had made along the way.
Tania’s breath caught in her throat. The phone slipped from her hands, clattering against the floor as she recoiled in horror. “No, no, no,” she whispered, her voice trembling. She clutched her head in both hands, trying to push away the growing terror. The tears came again, harder this time, as sobs wracked her body.
“No… no… this can’t be happening,” she whispered to herself, clutching her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her breath came in short, panicked gasps as her vision blurred with fear and exhaustion.
Without thinking, Tania threw her phone across the room, watching it crash into the wall and fall to the floor with a thud. She buried her face in her hands, pulling at her hair in desperation, her sobs growing louder. Her entire body trembled as she rocked back and forth, trying to calm the terror surging through her.
“What do they want from me?” she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking under the weight of her panic. “Why is this happening? Why now?” Whoever had been in that car wasn’t done with her. And now, they were taunting her, making sure she knew just how precarious her life had become.