Chapter 5 The Threat Begins

The first message came in the middle of the night.

I was half-awake, my phone buzzing on the nightstand, a low hum vibrating through the silence. I reached for it, squinting at the screen, expecting a notification from one of my friends. Instead, it was a message from an unknown number.

"Choose wisely, Lila. Or end it now."

My breath caught in my throat. The words seemed to pulse in the dark room, heavy with meaning, but I couldn't decipher it. My thumb hovered over the screen, my mind racing, trying to figure out if it was a joke, if someone had hacked my number, or if it was something much worse.

I rubbed my face, trying to push the creeping anxiety away. Maybe it was a prank.

But that nagging feeling in my gut told me it was more than that.

The next morning, the second message came.

"You think you're in control? Think again."

It wasn't even signed. Just... words, cold and calculated.

I deleted it, but the panic lingered. I had no idea who would want to send me messages like that-no idea who had my number, let alone why they would want to intimidate me. But my gut told me that whoever it was, they knew exactly who I was, and they knew exactly what was at stake.

The tension in my chest hadn't even fully settled when I came home later that evening. My apartment was still quiet, still my sanctuary-or at least, it had been. But now, every creak of the floorboards, every shift in the air, felt like a threat.

I walked into the living room, and my heart dropped. The door was slightly ajar, the lock tampered with. I pushed it open, a chill crawling up my spine.

Nothing was taken. My TV was still there, the furniture undisturbed. But there, on the coffee table, was the ultrasound photo, torn in half, jagged edges crumpled in a way that made my stomach churn. My baby. The one thing that had made all of this feel real, feel worth it. And now it was destroyed.

I sank to my knees, staring at the pieces, the cold air of my apartment settling around me like a suffocating blanket. My breath came short, panic rising in my throat.

I knew then. This wasn't just some sick joke. Whoever was behind this meant business.

By the time I called the police, I was shaking. I gave them every detail, trying to hold it together, but my hands were unsteady, my voice a little too high-pitched. They promised to look into it, but the look in the officer's eyes told me they weren't sure how much they could do.

"I'll make sure someone keeps an eye on you," the officer said before he left, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was just another empty promise. The kind that didn't mean much when it came down to real danger.

I didn't even have time to process it all before the phone rang again.

Declan.

I almost didn't pick up. But I did. His voice was calm, as always, but I could hear the tension underneath.

"You're not alone in this, Lila," he said. "I'm having a security team stationed outside your building. You can't take this lightly."

I could hear the protective edge in his voice, but I wasn't ready for his solution. I wasn't ready for anything to feel... more real.

"I'm fine, Declan. I can handle it," I said, my voice tight.

But he didn't buy it. "No, you can't. I'm not asking, Lila. I'm making sure you're safe. I won't have you hiding from whoever's doing this."

I took a deep breath, the weight of it all sinking in. I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Not now. Not ever.

"I said I'm fine," I repeated, more forcefully this time. "I don't need your help."

The line went silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice quieter now. "Don't make me do this the hard way."

The call ended abruptly, and I was left staring at my phone, my heart hammering in my chest.

But before I could even process what had just happened, another call came through. This time, it was Jordan.

I answered it, my voice sharp. "What is it, Jordan?"

He wasted no time. "I heard what happened. You need to move into the penthouse. Now."

I nearly laughed at the absurdity of it. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine here."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're not safe in that apartment. There's a private elevator, security, everything you need. I'm not giving you a choice in this."

"You can't control me, Jordan. I'm not some damsel you can lock away in a tower. I'll be fine."

I could hear him gritting his teeth on the other end of the line. "This isn't a game, Lila. It's your life."

I ended the call, fighting the urge to throw my phone across the room. The nerve of him. He couldn't just swoop in, demanding to "protect" me when he'd been the one to tear my world apart in the first place.

I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the headache that was building. I couldn't deal with this. Not both of them.

The doorbell rang just as I was about to collapse onto the couch. It was Claire.

Her face was calm, composed. But there was something in her eyes. Something I didn't trust.

"You okay?" she asked, stepping inside before I could respond. She eyed the room, her gaze flicking over the destroyed ultrasound photo on the table.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I muttered. "Just... people making a mess of things."

She crossed her arms, her smile curling just slightly at the corners of her mouth. "I saw the news. Looks like you're in the middle of a little... drama."

I didn't want to talk about it, but the way her smile lingered on her lips made my skin crawl. Claire wasn't the type to show sympathy. She thrived in chaos. And right now, I was living it.

"Let the games begin," she whispered under her breath, her eyes gleaming with something darker.

I didn't know it then, but I should've been worried about what Claire Foster was about to do next.