Taylor sat at the kitchen island in their Kansas City home, scrolling through her phone while the sun dipped behind the skyline, casting an orange glow through the large windows. The house was quiet, unusually so, but it was a peaceful evening—just her and Travis. He'd been busy with football, but tonight, they had planned a rare night in together.
As she set her phone down, Taylor couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had been gnawing at her for weeks. Ever since she'd noticed someone lurking in the shadows during her evening runs around the neighborhood, a sense of dread had crept into her life. Travis had been concerned when she told him about the stalker, insisting she stop running alone and hire more security. But Taylor, always fiercely independent, had waved it off.
"Babe, it's probably just a fan. They'll lose interest," she'd said, but now she wasn't so sure.
The door opened, and Travis walked in from the backyard, his eyes immediately locking onto her. He had a sixth sense when it came to Taylor, knowing when something was off.
"You good?" he asked, setting his beer down on the counter.
"Yeah," she lied, forcing a smile. "Just thinking."
He frowned, not convinced, but didn't press. Instead, he moved closer, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side. She leaned into his warmth, grateful for his presence.
That night, the sense of safety she felt next to him faded into a restless sleep.
The next morning, Taylor woke up to her phone vibrating on the nightstand. She squinted at the screen, her heart dropping when she saw a flood of notifications from her social media accounts.
Someone had been posting doctored images of her. Inappropriate images.
Her hands shook as she scrolled through the messages. The photos were clearly fake, AI-generated versions of her in compromising situations, but they were graphic enough to make her stomach churn. The captions were worse, filled with lies and cruel words meant to humiliate her.
"Travis..." her voice cracked as she called out to him, her heart pounding in her chest.
Travis, who had just finished his morning workout, appeared in the doorway. His expression shifted from concern to rage the moment he saw the phone in her hands.
"What the hell is this?" he growled, grabbing the phone from her. His eyes flicked over the screen, the muscles in his jaw clenching tighter with each second.
Taylor covered her face with her hands, her breath coming in shallow gasps. "It's him. It has to be him. That stalker I told you about."
Travis didn't say a word at first. His eyes were dark, fury simmering beneath his usually calm exterior. He was protective by nature, but this—this was a different level of threat. Whoever was behind this had crossed a line, and the thought of anyone hurting Taylor in this way sent a wave of anger crashing through him.
"I'm calling the police," Travis said, his voice low and dangerous.
"No, wait," Taylor whispered, grabbing his arm. "I don't want to make it worse. What if it just makes him more aggressive?"
Travis crouched down in front of her, taking her shaking hands in his. "Tay, we can't let this go. This guy is sick. He's already escalated from following you to doing this. Who knows what he'll try next?"
She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I'm scared, Trav."
"I know, baby. But I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I swear."
By the afternoon, Kansas City's police department was involved. They traced the digital footprint left by the stalker, trying to track down the origin of the AI-generated images, but the stalker had used encrypted servers, making it difficult to find him.
