Page 62 of Fractured Loyalties
How he used to test my perception—gaslighting wrapped in romance. He’d shift small things. My toothbrush moved. A different ringtone. A voicemail deleted. He’d swear I imagined it, and after a while, I believed him.
Until I didn’t.
Until I learned to write things down. To timestamp my life.
But even now, I can’t prove this note wasn’t always here. Maybe I missed it. Maybe I’m spiraling.
Or maybe someone is pulling on those old threads just tight enough to see if I’ll fray.
I grab a sticky note from my drawer and write the time. 10:37 a.m.
I place it beside the paper.
I want proof that I’m not losing it.
But the worst part is—if thisisCaleb…then he knows I’ll be too afraid to scream.
I unlock my phone. Open the thread with Elias. It’s empty.
I type:Someone left a note in my office.
Delete.
Try again:Did you see anything unusual this morning?
Delete.
Final attempt:Do you have eyes on the clinic right now?
I hover my thumb over send—
A knock at the door startles me.
My phone slides from my hand onto the desk. Screen goes black.
“Mara?”
It’s Alec.
I clear my throat. “Yeah.”
“Got a second?”
“Sure.”
He opens the door without waiting for a real invitation.
He’s too calm. Casual in a way that doesn’t fit the moment. Slacks, open collar, coffee in hand like we’re about to talk about someone’s overtime hours.
“You okay?” he asks, shutting the door behind him.
I nod. “Just settling in.”
He steps closer. Too close.
“You’ve been...hard to pin down lately.”
I shrug. “Had to take some time. Still doing my job.”
