Caroline had never really understood when people said that in dangerous situations their whole life flashed before their eyes. That was until she stood face to face with her stalker for what felt like the first time, but it wasn’t, she just didn’t remember the other times he’d been around her for most of the time he found ways to drug her. The only other time in the elevator where she almost lost her life, and that feeling was less scary than the feeling she had just now. He’d been so bold, he’d spoken to her in front of people, he flashed his grin as if to let her know that no one believed her, and he’d continue to take and take until it was her life that was last on his list. He’d made it very clear that since she’d chosen Abel, that she’d chosen her own death.

She was both frozen in place and feeling like electricity flowed through her body. Fight or Flight. She repeated in her head as he continued to speak, her husband’s name falling out of his tongue like a cuss word, it felt wrong, he shouldn’t get to think about the man who’d done nothing wrong other than love Caroline with every ounce of his soul. Her stalker shouldn’t get to think about him, let alone speak his name out in the open. She wanted to spit in his face, she wanted to give him a big f*** you and pull the taser out of her bag and use it on him until he cried and begged for her to stop. She wouldn’t stop. He had made it clear, it was her life or his.

The whole interaction felt like it happened for hours, she’d parted her lips trying to speak. All she had to say was that she felt sick, but they wouldn’t come. Her mouth was dry and her head was spinning. She knew that she’d either made a big mistake or a big revelation in coming here, but she wasn’t sure if it would end in big consequences. She needed to get out of there, her heels felt glued to the floor, like she’d stepped in sticky pink bubble gum that some child had just thrown on the floor when they’d chewed all the sugary flavor and no longer wanted the hunk of flavorless gum in their mouth. She was terrified in ways that made her feel like if fear alone could stop her heart, she’d be dead. She’d fall to the floor and save her stalker the trouble.

She wanted to run out of the front door to the loving arms of her husband, but she was too scared to leave the public building and round the corner of the now darkening parking lot as it was getting closer and closer to evening. “Move, Caroline.” she told herself, she repeated it until she found her way to the bathroom. The swinging door closed behind her and she found herself with her hands gripping the counter of the sink and staring at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were wide, her hands shaking, she looked sick as if she’d just seen a ghost. She felt like she was going to throw up, so she opened her mouth to speak. She was about to dig in her purse to find her phone and ask Abel or Jordan to meet her outside of the bathroom door to ensure that nothing happened to her in the small time between the front door and his loving embrace.

She didn’t have a chance though, the door swung open and Caroline spun on her heels, almost fast enough to make herself extremely dizzy. “Hi, Caroline. You didn’t think I’d let this little meeting go without seeing you, uh, privately.” He said her stalker's voice was so calm, quiet, and controlled. He gets closer to her, his hands on her designer handbag. “I’m sure this has a listening device in it somewhere, doesn’t it, love? Unless Abel really doesn’t care about you and sends you into this lion's den alone without any help at all. He wants me to take you, doesn’t he? He knows you belong to me. But just in case…..” he said, taking her bag and throwing it as hard as he could, past the swinging door of the bathroom leaving her completely defenseless.

Or so he thought….Caroline very smoothly, with a shaking hand tapping the tiny bracelet on her wrist. Once. Twice. Three times. Three notifications should’ve been sent to Abel’s phone, and he’d know something was up. She just had to wait. He was quick to circle her, looking at her in ways that reminded her of her years in pageants. Where she’d be just a young girl paraded in front of grown men who comment on how she looked, like a lamb going to the slaughter, that’s how he looked at her. “Stay away from me.” she said softly, her words not nearly as tough as she wished that they were.

“I will never stay away from you, Caroline.” he said, charging after her, he shoved her until her back hit the wall hard. His hands found his way to grip her throat again. “Remember this? It’s kind of like our first date. Maybe this time you won’t wake up and I’ll just keep you. Pretty. Perfect. Silent. Mine.” he said through clenched teeth as she struggled to get away from his grasp. “Keep trying, you’ll just make it easier.” he said as she tried to use the point of her heel to kick him but not being strong enough to get away from him. “Let. me. Go.” she whispered, but all she could hear was the door opening again..