Lena barely slept that night.
The words from the message kept echoing in her mind.
You will lose everything.
She stared at the ceiling of her room while the early morning light slowly entered through the window. Her phone lay beside her pillow like a silent threat.
Was someone stalking her?
Or was this some kind of cruel joke?
But one thing kept bothering her the most.
The messages were coming from her own number.
That shouldn't be possible.
By the time morning arrived, Lena felt exhausted. She forced herself out of bed and got ready for work.
At the bookstore, everything seemed normal.
People walked in and out, flipping through books, chatting quietly. The smell of old pages and fresh paper usually made Lena feel calm.
But today, she couldn't focus.
Her eyes kept drifting toward her phone.
Every time it vibrated, her heart jumped.
Around noon, she decided to take a short break.
She walked outside and sat on a small bench near the street.
The sky was bright, and cars passed by one after another. Yet Lena felt strangely disconnected from everything around her.
Just then—
"Hey."
The voice startled her.
She looked up.
Ryan was standing there.
He looked just as surprised as she was.
"Oh… Lena," he said with a smile. "You work here?"
She nodded slowly.
"Yeah. The bookstore."
Ryan laughed softly.
"What a coincidence. I was actually looking for a place to buy a novel."
Lena felt a strange warmth in her chest.
"Then you came to the right place."
They began walking back toward the bookstore together.
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
Ryan was easy to talk to.
Funny.
Kind.
Every time he smiled, Lena felt her heart beating faster.
But suddenly—
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
DING.
Her steps stopped.
Ryan noticed immediately.
"Everything okay?"
Lena forced a smile.
"Yeah… just a message."
But her hands trembled slightly as she pulled out the phone.
She already knew who it would be from.
And she was right.
The message appeared on the screen.
STOP.
Lena felt the blood drain from her face.
Ryan looked at her.
"You look pale. Is something wrong?"
Before she could answer, another message appeared.
You are standing next to him right now.
Her breathing became heavier.
How could the sender know that?
She slowly turned her head and looked at Ryan.
He was watching her with concern.
"Lena?"
Her phone vibrated again.
The third message appeared.
Leave him before it's too late.
Lena's heart pounded wildly.
For a moment, she wondered if she should just walk away.
Maybe the messages were right.
Maybe something terrible would happen.
But then Ryan spoke again.
"You know… if something is bothering you, you can tell me."
His voice was calm and sincere.
And somehow…
That made Lena feel safe.
She took a deep breath.
"No… it's nothing."
Ryan smiled.
"Good. Because I was hoping we could get coffee again sometime."
Lena hesitated for a second.
The warning echoed again in her mind.
Don't fall in love with him.
But then she looked at Ryan.
And she made a decision.
"Okay," she said softly.
Ryan's smile widened.
"Great."
They walked into the bookstore together.
But Lena didn't notice one thing.
Her phone vibrated again in her pocket.
A final message appeared on the screen.
You just made the same mistake again.