The Ideal Stranger

Chapter 13: Into the Trap

  That night, Raj came to her apartment, accompanied by another officer. They searched her place for any signs of forced entry or hidden cameras but found nothing. Still, the note confirmed one thing: Rohan hadn't let go of her.

  "Aanya, I'm going to assign someone to keep an eye on you for the next few days," Raj said, his voice firm. "We'll catch him, but you need to be careful. Don't go anywhere alone."

  Aanya nodded, fear tightening its grip on her. "What if he comes for me again?"

  "We won't let that happen," Raj promised. "But you have to trust us."

  For a few days, things were quiet. The officer stationed near Aanya's apartment kept her feeling safe, and she started to think that maybe Rohan had given up. But then, one evening, when she returned home from work, her apartment door was unlocked.

  She froze at the entrance, fear flooding her senses. She hadn't left the door open, she was sure of it.

  Summoning her courage, Aanya pushed the door open, slowly stepping inside. Her living room was untouched, everything in its place—except for a single object sitting in the middle of her dining table.

  It was her childhood diary, a private book she hadn't looked at in years.

  She approached it cautiously, her hands shaking as she opened the first page. Inside, written in Rohan's familiar handwriting, was a note:

  "I've known you longer than you think. I know everything about you, Aanya. You can't run from me."

  Aanya's breath caught in her throat. How had he gotten her diary? It had been buried deep in her closet, a forgotten piece of her past.

  Tears stung her eyes as she dropped the diary. The situation was worse than she had imagined. Rohan wasn't just following her—he was in her life, weaving himself into her past and present. He knew things about her that no one else could.

  She grabbed her phone and dialed Raj again, her hands shaking. "Raj, he's been in my apartment. He left my childhood diary on the table."

  Raj cursed on the other end. "We're coming over now. Don't move."