Chapter 6 Dangerous Obsession

My name is Olivia Mano, I'm 23 years old. I work as a marketing assistant for a local firm, it's not the most glamorous job,but it's fulfilling. I'm the type of person who enjoys the little things,coffee on a quiet morning, reading on the tram, catching up with friends over brunch.

My life had always been simple...straightforward. I kept busy with work, spent time with my family and had a few close friends. I liked to stay connected with people through social media, posting pictures of my life and things i cared about.

It wasn't anything extravagant,just everyday moments.Then,there was Victor Leroy,he worked with me at the call center where I started my career. He wasn't someone i had ever clicked with to be honest.

He was quiet, awkward and didn't have the same interest as me. We didn't share anything in common so i didn't pay him much attention, but for some reason he always seemed to find a way to start conversations with me at work. Whenever i passed by, he'd look up from his desk,give a nervous smile and try to talk.

At first i thought he was just trying to be friendly, but it didn't take long before i realized that he was.....different. He'd ask me about my weekend plans or comment on things i had posted online.

It was always small talk nothing too personal,but it felt like he was trying to get too familiar with me too quickly. I was polite,but i didn't encourage it,i wasn't interested in being friends with him. I had my own life,my own circle of friends.

After sometime, it become clear that his attention wasn't going anywhere. Eventually, Victor was let go from the company. His performance had been poor and the higher ups had no choice than to fire him.

I didn't think much of it. He was out of my life and i was relieved,but then, a few months later something strange happened. One day,i got a follow request from a profile on Instagram i didn't recognize. The account seemed normal at first,no red flags but when i looked closer,i realized it was Victor.

At that moment,i felt a wave of confusion wash over me. Why was he reaching out again?... why would he want to follow me? But i didn't want to make a big deal out of it so, i accepted the request. Afterall, people follow each other on Instagram all the time right?

I had no idea how much i was going to regret that simple decision. I didn't think much of it at first,that follow request. I mean, it's not like i hadn't accepted random requests before. Social media is just a part of life now, everyone's on there and we connect with people in a thousand different ways.

His posts were sparse, nothing too personal or revealing,just the occasional picture quotes..but slowly, his presence on my Instagram became more.... persistent.

He started liking every single post i made and i mean every single one. It wasn't just the photos i shared with families and friends but even the mundane pictures of my breakfasts,my shoes,my book collections, things i never thought would interest anyone.

His comments were always a little bit too much.....though,first they seemed like harmless compliments like "Great pic" or "that outfit looks amazing" but as time went on,they started to feel creepy,almost as if he was keeping track of everything i did.... watching me from afar.

I'll admit,i felt a bit uncomfortable,but i brushed it off. Maybe i was just overthinking it. It wasn't like he was doing anything directly wrong...but then one evening,i noticed something that made me skin crawl.Victor had started sending me private messages.

At first they were casual,like a chat friendly chat " How's your week going?" Or " Have you seen that new movie?" But soon the messages started to feel more invasive. He asked about my personal life, about my friends and most disturbingly about my boyfriend.

I hadn't posted much about him online,but somehow he seemed to know. He asked " what's his name again?" And "is he treating you well?". That's when i realized,i hadn't shared anything like that with him, how did he know?.

If felt like he was digging deeper into my life than anyone one should,like he was trying to get too close. I blocked him. I thought that would end it,i thought if i just cut him off,it would stop but it didn't.

It was days after, when i first received a follow requests from what seemed to be my old friends. I didn't think twice. Afterall,i was an open person, always willing to reconnect with people from the past.

Some of them i hadn't spoke to in years but it didn't feel unusual. I received a few follow requests on Instagram, the profiles looked familiar. Old friends from highschool and college, people i hadn't heard from in years. Their names brought a sense of nostalgia and without hesitation i clicked " ACCEPT" on their follow requests.

Soon after, something felt off.The moment i accepted the requests,the floodgate opened. They began liking almost every post,sending messages at all hours. Some simple "Hellos" others far more personal.

It was just like Victor used to do. The messages came relentlessly, reminiscence of his obsessive ways with odd questions and odd comments that felt invasive. I remember feeling a prickling sense of dread wash over me.

It didn't take long for me to realize what was happening. These weren't my old friends,the way they texted didn't match the energy of my actual friends. I'd known these people, some of them very well and yet, this didn't feel like them at all....it felt... fake.

Victor had created fake profiles, using pictures of people i once knew, pretending to be them. I was horrified,how could he do this?...how could he go this far?. As i pieced everything together, the chilling realized hit me. Victor knew so much about me...way more than anyone had the right to.

He knew about my friends,the real ones and used their names and faces to gain access to my life. He knew about my family,the places I went to,my hobbies,my routine. He knew about my past relationships. I couldn't understand how he had gathered all these informations.

I felt violated,the walls of my life had been shattered. How had he been able to track me,so meticulously gathering these details and now invade my space like this. I began to panic,i asked myself how did he know so much. How can he have this kind of informations.

Terrified,i decided to confront him. I messaged one of the fake profiles demanding answers " stop!!...i know it's you, what the hell is wrong with you?!... you've crossed the line" i texted,my hands shaking as i typed. My heart was racing. i threatened to call the police and i told him my boyfriend would make sure he'd never get away with this.

I was desperate,i wanted him to feel the weight of the threat,to know that this behavior would not go unpunished..but even while i hit "send" i felt a wave of dread. I knew the kind of rage i was about to provoke and i was right.

The response came almost immediately.The message was short but chilling " This is your fault Olivia,you shouldn't have ignored me" Victor wrote. The anger in his words sent a cold shiver down my spine. I immediately blocked him and locked all my social media profiles.