When I unlocked my door that evening, the smell hit first sweet and sharp.
Two new bouquets of white lilies sat on my table, wrapped in silver paper.
A note leaned between them.
Don't stress, my ruin.
My stomach dropped.
I grabbed the flowers and shoved them into the trash, petals scattering across the floor.
"This isn't real," I told myself. "You're hallucinating."
But the crushed stems, the damp paper, the dress still buried in the bin
all proof that something was real.
I reached for my phone, ready to text him, to demand he stop
but every thread was empty again.
No number. ..No history. .
Then a new message blinked onto the screen.
Searching for my number? Miss me already?
My hands shook.
Me: What do you want, you creep? Stop hiding and face me if you're real.
What do you want..?asshole!
Don't fuck ..my life from the back, come in front of me.
Him: Ahh… my girl. Still sharp when you're angry. I love that.
Umm.. always liked your sweet tongue.
Me: Leave me alone...you prick..!!
I threw the phone onto the bed, heart hammering.
The shower hissed on, and I stood under the water until the steam blurred everything.
When I came out, I tried to anchor myself in small, ordinary things
chopping chicken, stirring stew, slicing fruit I barely wanted.
Music filled the kitchen, soft and steady.
I took the stress pill Dr Leo prescribed, set the bowl aside half-eaten, and crawled into bed.
For the first time in days, my body gave in to sleep.
---
Sunlight touched my face when I opened my eyes.
No buzzing phone.
No flowers.
No fear.
So maybe...just maybe..some psycho wanted to play with me, and now he got bored.
Maybe Dr Leo was right..the pills worked, and it had all been stress.
I smiled, stretching beneath the sheets, breathing in the quiet morning.
For now, at least, I was free.
---
Two days passed.
No messages.
No flowers.
Nothing.
I went to college, did my rounds, attended lectures like any other student.
For once, life felt normal again.
Maybe that psycho finally got bored.
Maybe whatever game he was playing..
it was over.
---
Tomorrow was Sunday.
Mira leaned on my desk, grinning.
"Tonight we're going out. No excuses. You need to breathe, Elina."
"Club again?" I groaned.
"Of course. 7 Star. You owe me fun."
By evening I stood in front of my wardrobe, searching for something to wear.
And then I saw it.
That dress.
The one I'd thrown in the bin.
It looked untouched,clean, perfect, as if it had never been there before.
For a second I just stared.
Then I laughed softly.
"That part's over," I told myself.
"No harm in wearing it now."
The silk slid over my skin like it was made for me.
It fit exactly.
Almost too well.
Whoever had chosen it… knew my measurements better than I did.
---
The club was alive as always lights flashing, bass vibrating through the floor.
I promised Mira no heavy drinking tonight.
Just fun.
Just normal.
But a few drinks later, I was laughing, spinning under the colored lights, music loud enough to erase thought.
A guy came up to us -tall, easy smile, harmless eyes.
"Dance?" he asked.
Before I could refuse, Mira nudged me.
"Go...You deserve one normal dance."
I rolled my eyes but let him pull me to the center.
His hands rested lightly on my waist.
We moved with the rhythm, my hair brushing his shoulder.
For the first time in weeks, I almost felt okay.
Then my phone vibrated in my purse.
I ignored it.
Another vibration.
Longer this time.
I sighed, still moving with the music.
The club lights flickered...
once, twice...then went dark.
Everything stopped...music, laughter, movement.
Darkness swallowed the club.
Then I felt it.
Warm breath against my neck.
A firm hand sliding around my waist from behind.
"Hey, "
a low, familiar voice whispered.
"Sharing isn't really in my nature, sweetheart...!"
My heart froze. I couldn't move.
The smell..the same faint trace of his cologne...
It was him.
Before I could turn around
the lights flashed back on.
The music started again.
People screamed and laughed like nothing had happened.
But the man behind me
was gone.
I spun, searching the crowd.
No one.
Not even the guy I'd been dancing with a second ago.
Then someone shouted,
"Help! Please! Somebody help!"
The music cut again.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
The same guy,the one who'd asked me to dance.
was on the floor, clutching his arm.
Blood dripped through his fingers, pooling on the tiles.
"Oh my God!" Mira gasped beside me.
We ran toward him, pushing through the crowd.
Instinct kicked in.. we're med students, this is what we do.
"Get napkins, clean cloths, anything!" I shouted.
Mira grabbed a towel from the bar.
The man's hand was trembling.
Two fingers were slashed but intact.
On his forearm, a long, deep cut ran across the skin--clean, deliberate.
"Who did this?"
I asked, pressing down on the wound.
He shook his head, voice breaking.
"I ..I didn't see. It just...happened."
I swallowed hard. The cut avoided every major vein.
Whoever did it knew exactly where to strike.
"This is a clean incision," I muttered. "Not random."
Mira's eyes widened.
"You mean..someone with medical knowledge?"
"Yeah," I said quietly.
"Someone who knew anatomy… perfectly."
We used whatever first-aid supplies the club had bandages, alcohol, strips of cloth.
By then, someone had already called an ambulance.
As they carried him out, blood smeared across the floor like a warning.
The crowd began to scatter.
Mira and I stepped outside together, still shaking.
The night air was cold.
We stood by the curb, waiting for our cab, replaying everything.
"What if it wasn't random?" Mira whispered.
"Stop," I said quickly.
"Don't make it sound worse."
But my hands were still trembling.
That voice… it was real.
Our cab arrived.
We parted ways, promising to check on each other later.
---
When I reached my apartment, I exhaled
trying to convince myself it was over.
But the moment I opened the door, the scent hit me.
White lilies.
Again.
The air was thick with it.
I turned on the light.
There they were.
A bouquet on the table.
And a note.
My chest tightened. My hands shook as I picked it up.
"You said to leave you alone...
I gave you space.''
I stumbled back, my breath caught somewhere between a sob and a scream.
That dress..the one I was still wearing..suddenly felt suffocating, like his touch clinging to my skin.
Then my phone buzzed.
I unlocked it with trembling hands.
There were messages...
older ones I hadn't noticed during the club chaos.
: "You look damn gorgeous."
:"You belong to me .. let no one come close."
:"I'll cut his hand."
My vision blurred.
My fingers went numb.
"Oh my God…" I whispered.
My knees almost gave out.
Now I understood.
That guy at the club...
it wasn't random at all.
He did it.
For me...!!