Days had passed since Ethan had walked out of Tania’s life, but Ella wasn’t finished yet. She did not Tania to live peacefully. Not until Tania had experienced that raw fear she felt when Crystal almost killed her. Her vengeance simmered beneath the surface, growing sharper each time she thought about Tania taking what was hers. Now, Ella was determined to torment Tania as much as possible mentally, emotionally until she broke.
Ella began to play mind games with Tania, sending ominous messages that made her skin crawl. The first one was simple: “Hi, do you miss me? I know your secret, but I’m not sure I can keep it for much longer.” The message was left on Tania’s doorstep, wrapped in an envelope that bore no return address.
Tania had been dealing with the constant anxiety and fear. When she read the note, her hand trembled. She scanned the area around her front porch, but no one was in sight. It was late, the street empty, but Tania could feel eyes on her. She slammed the door shut and locked it, her heart racing.
That night, Tania barely slept. Every sound in the house seemed amplified the creak of the floorboards, the rustling of the wind outside. She tossed and turned, her mind spiraling with fear. Who the hell was sending these messages.
A few days later, another letter appeared at her doorstep. This one read: “Peek-a-boo, guess who? I’m coming for you.” The words sent a chill down her spine, and she rushed inside, bolting all the windows. The paranoia was eating her alive, and she was certain someone was watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But who?
Tania’s world was closing in on her. Every shadow seemed to hold a threat. She tried to block everything out of her mind, to pretend like none of it was happening, but it was no use. Her sickness worsened. She couldn’t hold food down, and the constant nausea plagued her days. She spent most nights bent over the toilet, retching and crying, wondering how her life had spiraled out of control so quickly.
The messages didn’t stop, they became more taunting, threatening, reminding Tania of the storm that was brewing. “Do you remember what you did? Because I do.” Another note was left on the windshield of her car. Every time Tania left the house, she expected to see someone just anyone, lurking in the shadows. She even started dreaming of a faceless person, that sometimes switches to Ella’s face appearing in the mirror or standing over her bed at night, whispering threats into her ear.
Ethan, meanwhile, had barely thought of Tania since moving into his new house with Grace. He was consumed by the new responsibilities of his single fatherhood, making sure his daughter was safe and well. But the day had come to collect the rest of his things from Tania’s house. He dreaded returning to that toxic place, but he needed to wrap up loose ends and make a clean break.
When Ethan entered the house, he immediately noticed something was off. The house was eerily quiet. The furniture was disheveled, and the lights were dim. He called out, but there was no answer. He climbed the stairs to the master bedroom, where the door was slightly ajar.
What he saw next made his heart stop. Tania was lying on the floor, motionless. His breath caught in his throat as he rushed to her side, panic gripping him. “Tania! Tania, wake up!” he shouted, shaking her gently. Her skin was pale, her body limp, and for a moment, he feared the worst.
He immediately dialed for an ambulance and waited for what felt like an eternity. The paramedics arrived quickly and rushed Tania to the hospital. Ethan followed closely, his mind racing. He hadn’t expected to see her like this, what the hell happened to her?