~~Elena~~
I don't want to refer him to anyone now. I'm already shaking. I can't take his words lightly.
I reach for my phone on the desk, but he's quicker. His hand shoots out and takes it from me before I can react.
My heartbeat drums in my chest so loudly I feel like it might burst. Fear curls up in my stomach and makes me want to cry.
He narrows his eyes at me. "Are you planning to call the cops on me?"
I freeze. Yes. That's exactly what I was planning. Who knows if I'll be his next victim?
I don't want to die. I have so much to live for. My career has just started. I have a fiancé. I'm my mother's only child, and she would never forgive me if I didn't come home.
"N… no," I stutter, words catching in my throat. I try to cover it, to make it sound casual. "I just… I wanted to check the time. There's somewhere I need to be."
My voice shakes despite myself. No matter how hard I try to act unaffected, I can't.
"Oh, you want to go meet that nerdy boyfriend of yours… Ethan, was it?" His words cut into me, mocking, measured.
Panic threatens to overtake me. I can feel it rising, building. Who is this person? Has he been following me? Watching me?
I purse my lips, forcing myself to speak. I have to get some control back, have to find a way out without ending up dead.
"Why did you do it… I mean, why did you kill that person?" I ask, my voice trembling.
He leans back slightly, twisting the black tie in his hand. "Because I was paid a lot of money to do it," he says, almost thoughtfully. "He was also a waste of life. A rapist. You don't have to feel bad about him."
The way he says it, so casual, so unbothered, makes my stomach twist. Every instinct tells me I need to get out of here. Every part of me screams danger.
"You could have reported him to the police," I say, squeezing my own palms together on top of my thighs.
"Some sins are just unredeemable. Taking him to the police wouldn't have helped much. He has enough money to pay them off and buy his freedom. It's just better to have him dead."
He frees his palm from the tie and runs a hand through his unruly hair, but the fringes fall right back over his forehead.
"Why did you come to me, knowing full well I don't treat adults?" That question has been running through my mind since he walked in. If he knows who my boyfriend is, it means he also knows I'm a children's therapist.
He cracks his knuckles slowly as he stares at me, and I can't stop myself from flinching. Is he plotting how to kill me?
"Because I like you," he says finally. "And you look like someone who could keep secrets… if she's properly threatened."
He pushes my phone toward me and I grab it instinctively. Holding it close.
"I'll be coming here every day at five," he continues. "We'll see if you can fix me. And if you ever breathe a word to anyone about me, Doctor, I won't think twice before killing every member of your family. It won't be much work — just you, your grandma, your mom, and that cheating boyfriend of yours. And for a pretty girl like yourself…" He smirks. "…I've got to admit, you have very poor taste in men."
I clutch my phone tighter, my knuckles white.
He stands, looking at the clock on the wall. " It's been fifteen minutes," he says.
Then, casually, he pulls a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket and places it on the desk. Without another word, he turns and leaves, the door clicking softly behind him.
I stay still for a long moment, staring at the bill left on the desk.
He overpaid for his time here, but I can't bring myself to take the money. It cost a life for him to get it. It's dirty. Guilt would eat me alive if I used it. I place it carefully in a small jar on my table and close my eyes for a moment, trying to steady my racing thoughts.
I still don't know what to do with the information he gave me. One thing is certain — I can't run to the cops. He might actually live up to his word and wipe out my entire family.
My mind drifts to what he said about my "cheating boyfriend." I haven't had a chance to think about it until now, and a small doubt creeps in. But I push it back. Ethan and I have been dating since high school. He proposed last year. Our wedding is only a month away, and even with the distance, we've been planning it as we promised each other — to wait until marriage.
No. He wouldn't cheat. I've known him too long.
I shake my head subconsciously, trying to clear the panic and fear that still lingers in my chest.
Finally, I stand, grabbing my water bottle, keys, and purse. I leave the office.
I'm at the parking lot when my phone vibrates. Balancing my water bottle under my arm, I manage to grab the phone and bring it into view.
I'm all smiles, expecting a message from Kat, my best friend. She said she'd be picking up her bridesmaids' dress today.
But the message isn't from her. It's from a new number.
By the way, my name is Luca Crowe. Save my number.
My heart sinks. I know it's him.
I glance around the almost empty parking lot, every shadow suddenly sharp. Then, with a shaky hand, I slide into my car.
I'm rattled. Today, the plans I had for the weekend — staying home alone, unwinding — don't feel safe anymore. It would be better if I stayed at Ethan's.