Tangled Hearts

Chapter 8:A Fractured Reality

When the police arrived, Lila was gone. There was no sign that she had ever been there—no footprints in the garden, no marks on the door. They questioned Alec for hours, and though he insisted she had been there, they didn't seem to believe him. To them, it was just the ramblings of a paranoid teenager who had lost touch with reality.

His parents were called back home, and Alec was forced into counseling, his life unraveling before his eyes. He was trapped in a loop, reliving every moment with Lila, every promise, every threat. His therapist talked about obsession, paranoia, and the stress of high school, but none of it made any sense.

His parents watched him with anxious eyes, his friends treated him like he was made of glass, and the school whispered behind his back. He felt utterly alone—cut off from everyone, drowning in his own fear. He knew what they all thought—that he was making it up, that it was all in his head.

But Alec knew better. Lila was still out there, waiting, and he couldn't escape her. The notes had stopped, but her presence remained, lingering like a shadow at the edge of his vision. He would catch glimpses of her in the crowd, or see her reflection in windows that disappeared when he turned to look.

Then one night, the notes started again. They were different this time—less loving, more desperate. The handwriting was shaky, frantic, and each message was filled with anger, pain, and a plea for him to return to her.

"I'm sorry, Alec. I didn't mean to scare you. I just want things to be the way they were. Please, come back to me."

He tore the notes apart, shredded them in his hands. He couldn't live like this anymore. His mind was unraveling, but deep down, he knew the truth: Lila wouldn't stop. She would never stop until he was hers.