I followed the stranger with my eyes until he disappeared around the corner. Then my phone vibrated. A message had arrived from an unknown number.
“Stop asking questions about Daniel.”
Daniel was my ex-boyfriend. My hands went cold. I immediately called him. Straight to voicemail. I called again. Nothing. That afternoon, I searched through the apartment. His sudden departure had seemed cruel, but now it felt suspicious. Then I noticed something hidden behind a stack of books: a small black external drive. I plugged it into my laptop. There were dozens of files. Bank statements. Property records. Insurance documents. And several videos. My heart pounded as I opened the first one. It showed Daniel arguing with a man I recognized—the same man from the elevator. Then Daniel said something that made my blood run cold.
“If anything happens to me, she cannot know about the account.”
The video ended. I opened another. This time Daniel was speaking directly into the camera.
“If you’re watching this, it means I had to leave before they found out.”
I stopped breathing.
“They think I stole the money. I didn’t. I found out someone has been moving money through my company using my name.”
He paused.
“And the person helping them is someone you trust.”
The screen went black. Behind me, Kimchi suddenly jumped onto the desk.
“Mom… Dad said not to trust the woman.”
“What woman?”
Kimchi stared toward the hallway. Then his thoughts came slowly.
“The woman who used to visit Dad.”
My mind raced. Daniel’s ex-girlfriend. The woman he had supposedly stopped seeing years ago. Then Kimchi added one final thought.
“She came here yesterday.”
I turned toward the front door. There was a soft knock. Three times. I didn’t move. Another knock followed. Then a woman’s voice came through the door.
“Emily?”
My heart stopped. It was Daniel’s ex.
She whispered through the door.
“Daniel never left you.”
A long silence followed.
“He left because someone is trying to kill him.”
I looked at Kimchi. For once, the cat wasn't thinking about food, sleep, or going outside. He was terrified.
“Mom… run.”
I stepped away from the door.
Then I heard the lock begin to turn from the other side.