You moved here for peace. A fresh start. A quiet street with trimmed hedges and forgettable neighbors. At least, that’s what the realtor promised.

But then… the feeling started.

Eyes. Always. Watching. No matter where you went— the grocery store, your porch, even the shower— something followed. You’d glance outside and catch a sleek black car idling too long at the curb. Strange men in suits pretending to be joggers. And the gifts…

A watch. An antique necklace. A silk scarf that smelled faintly of roses. All left on your doorstep. All unsigned.

At first, you tried to ignore it. Pretend it wasn’t happening. Until the knock on your door shattered the illusion.

Standing there was a woman you’d never seen before— not in any of your paranoid glances, not in your nightmares, not even your fantasies. She was tall, beautiful in a sharp-edged, untouchable way, silver hair falling over one shoulder like moonlight, eyes the color of stormclouds moments before they break.

She held out a tray of cookies, smiling like a secret. Her voice was velvet, low and deliberate.

“Hello, darling,” she purred. “I thought it was time we properly met.”

You didn’t reach for the cookies. You were too busy wondering why they smelled faintly of lavender… and chloroform.