My Stalkers (New and Updated Version)

Chapter 1

Layla kicked the door closed behind her, her kids racing off to run and play, already screaming and making a mess. Her attention shifted to the kitchen island, where a fresh bouquet of flowers sat in the center. The kitchen was cleaned spotless, and some heavenly smell was wafting from her oven.

Layla's cheeks puffed as she blew out a breath of air, her focus shifting to the card that sat on the island beside the bouquet. It was a simple card without any typed words on it, but on the inside were two different handwritten notes.

"My love, I hope these flowers can return some of the happiness to your day. All I want is to see that beautiful smile of yours.

-L

ps. I hope you think of us later tonight."

The second side of the letter read;

"The beauty of these flowers pale in comparison to your beauty. You are the sun, the moon and the stars. The only light in my life. You are my heart, my soul, and my eternity. I love you, Layla.

-A"

Layla quickly threw away the note, not wanting her husband to see it. These mysterious men have been coming into her home for months by then and she had slowly begun to get used to it. Of course, she didn't simply just take it quietly. She had first tried to tell her husband, Nick about the incidents, only for him to repeatedly laugh at her and accuse her of faking it.

She would show the evidence of their handwritten notes, their gifts and their actions around the home, but he ignored it all, merely waving away her concerns.

"You're probably faking it for attention." He'd say. "Why would anyone stalk you? I mean, you haven't been looking your best since you've had the kids. It's not like you offer anything to them. If you wanted my attention just say so." He rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering to himself about how much money she spent on some prank.

Layla tried a few more times, but Nick would simply get more and more upset with her, going so far as to lock her credit card and carefully monitor her spendings.

Layla tried to take matters into her own hands by installing cameras, changing locks, carrying around mace and even filing a police report, but all to no avail. Nick went to the police and told them it was her ploy for attention and asked them to throw away the report. No matter what she did, she couldn't convince him it was really happening, so she stopped telling him.

To top it off, magically, all the cameras glitched over the time when her stalkers would come in to visit. She wasn't so stupid as to think it was all a coincidence.

Living in fear and uncertainty was better than dealing with his ridicule and the punishments he enacted for her "misdeeds".

She had even tried to stay at a hotel room a few nights, but Nick went off the walls, first accusing her of trying to cheat. When she convinced him that wasn't the case, he was still furious she was "frivously spending all my money". If only she had friends or still spoke to her family. After meeting Nick, one of the first things he did was take her and move to a new town. She had limited interactions with friends, and any family time she tried to have was closely monitored and decided on by him.

They all tried to warn her of his controlling nature and asked her to get out, but Layla had fallen pregnant and didn't want to raise her baby away from their father. He might have been controlling over her, but that didn't mean he would be a bad dad, she reasoned.

Due to her insistance of staying with Nick despite all of the red flags, her friends and family grew more distant and eventually stopped talking to her all together.

"Mommy, the fairies came again!" Her daughter, Sarah squealed and held up a new doll and a pack of stickers. "RAINBOW STICKERS!" She yelled with excitement.

Layla pursed her lips. The stalkers didn't simply give gifts to Layla. They also regularly brought gifts or new clothes for her children. The cameras in the kids' room never glitched, however, and any gifts for the kids would be left in their living space. Layla, of course, was still cautious and worried for her kids. She wouldn't allow them to eat any snacks left for them, and the two stalkers stopped giving snacks, instead leaving Layla with gift cards intended for her to buy snacks for the kids.

"TRACTOR! VRRRR!" Her son, Brandon roared as he pushed the new tractor toy across the rug in the living room.

Layla laughed silently and went back into her kitchen when the timer went off to pull the food out of the oven that her stalkers provided for her.

The front door opened as Layla was setting up dinner and she glanced up to see her husband. "Welcome home, Nick." She offered a quick smile before looking down again at the food. "Kids, come eat!" she called and helped the little ones onto their chairs at the dining table. The little three and four year old children dove into their food with gusto.

"And heres your plate, Nick. Sarah had some things that she wanted to share from her day at school today with you."

"Yeah, not right now. I have some things I have to do, but thanks for the food." He grabbed the plate, a can of beer and went into the office to sit at his computer to play on one of his games.

Layla took a deep breath to try and keep the disappointment from her face. "Don't worry, Sarah. You can tell me again."

Sarah pouted a moment, then brushed it off as children do.