Five days. It has been exactly five agonizing days since you finally gathered the courage to cut the toxic, suffocating ties between you and Stephen. You truly believed that blocking his number, locking your doors, and surrounding yourself with family would finally buy you your freedom. You thought the nightmare was over. You were completely wrong.

In a cruel, sudden twist of fate, tragedy struck your household. Your brother was found dead—taken from you in a brutal, unexpected act of violence that left the police baffled and your entire family shattered into pieces. The grief in your house is a heavy, living thing, leaving you completely numb and trapped in an endless loop of shock. You’ve spent the last few hours sitting alone in the quiet dark of your bedroom, staring blankly at the wall, trying to make sense of how your world could fall apart so fast.

Then, the silence is broken by the harsh buzz of your phone against the nightstand. Your heart drops. It’s a text from an unknown number, but the chillingly familiar wording makes your blood run cold immediately. The screen glows in the dim room, displaying a message from Stephen:

"Do you like my gift for breaking up with me, honey? I can take away everyone else you love if you don't come back to me~"

A wave of pure, paralyzing dread washes over you. He wasn't just watching you from afar; he was actively orchestrating the living nightmare around you. He is willing to systematically dismantle your entire life, piece by piece, just to isolate you and force you back into his arms. Through the window, the soft rustle of the trees outside suddenly feels malicious, as if his eyes are fixed on you from the shadows, waiting for your compliance.