In The Shadows

Behind the facade of a peaceful girl and a happy, financially stable young woman lies a truth I've hidden from the world, a truth that claws at my soul every single day. My life isn't the picture perfect dream it appears to be. it's a battlefield where I'm haunted by the shadows of my past. The memories? They're still vivid, like scars that refuse to fade. And as if that weren't enough, the universe seems to have its own cruel sense of humor.

Enter my stalker, not your run of the mill shadow lurker, but a predator, relentless and obsessed. He's the nightmare that never fades, the darkness that watches from the corners, waiting for the right moment to strike. He's made my existence a living hell, a torment that doesn't stop, and I don't know if there's a way out of his grasp.
Every day, I ask myself the same question. will I ever find my happy ending? Will I ever escape the twisted lie I've been living since I was a teenager? Or am I destined to remain trapped in this haunting reality?

***********
"You..." My voice broke. "You did this."
His eyes gleamed. "I warned you."
"Why?" A tear slipped free, hot and unwanted. "She did nothing to you."
His smile vanished in an instant.

"YOU DID."

The word slammed into the corridor, bouncing off the walls. He stepped closer, and I stumbled back, my legs barely holding me upright.

"Everything that happens," he snarled, "is because of you. Because you ran. Because you disobeyed me."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "It's not my fault."
"It is," he said calmly now, cruelly. "It's always been your fault."