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10:08 AM
Chapter 70
I thought that by changing my name, moving countries, and living with a new identity, I could be completely free from Samuel. But as it turned out… the fear was still there. Secretly hiding behind my shoulder whenever I felt a little relieved.
My name is now Veronica. At least, in this new world, everyone knows me as such.”
I worked in a small bookstore on the corner, surrounded by the smell of old paper and classical music playing softly. It was quiet. Sometimes I felt like a character in an old novel of a woman escaping from the past and trying to build a life from scratch.}
Every night I wrote a diary. Sometimes just a paragraph, sometimes a full page. Not to be remembered, but more to get rid of the burden from inside my chest. About my growing belly. About the fear that still looms. And… about someone.}
Leon.
I first met him when I fainted at a bus stop due to nausea. He was the one who helped me. I thought it was a one–time thing. But then he showed up again. And again. It’s like the universe deliberately arranged for him to always be there when I needed help.
At first I thought it was a coincidence. But after a while… I started to get suspicious.
Is he watching me?}
Whenever I feel anxious, he appears. When I’m alone on a park bench, when it’s raining suddenly, or when I walk out of the clinic with stumbling steps. He was always there, with a calm gaze and a small smile that… to be honest, confused me.}
He said he was a doctor. But also likes to paint. Sometimes he would bring his sketches and sit at the café near the shop. We talked, sometimes about trivial things like our favorite type of tea or a book that was a hit. But he never asked too many questions about me. Maybe he knew I wasn’t ready to tell him anything.
And I’m… somehow, a little comfortable. But still cautious.
Meanwhile, I knew Samuel wouldn’t keep quiet.
C
He’s a man of power. He has money. And worse: he has an ego. He doesn’t love me. Doesn’t really care either. But he doesn’t like to lose what he considers “his.” And to him… I was one of those things.
He must have deployed paid detectives everywhere. I know, because my lawyer told me there was some hospital data that foreigners
were trying to access. We’ve prepared everything. Fake data, fictitious addresses, new identities. But I still have to be vigilant.
And sure enough…}
That day, I took my leave from the store because I had to go for pregnancy control. I came home with mixed feelings after seeing the ultrasound results. The baby was healthy. That was enough to relieve me.>
But apparently… at the same time, someone came to the store.
Samuel.”
A store employee told me via text message. There was a strange man, tall, cold, his manner was neat but gave me goosebumps. He didn’t ask anything. He just stood for a long time near the shelf where I usually arrange my books.
He said, before leaving, he said softly, almost like a whisper.
“I smell this perfume, it smells familiar to me!“}]
I immediately felt claustrophobic.}
He’s getting closer. Maybe closer than I imagined. And I need to think fast… before it’s too late.
When I read the message from Rika, my coworker at the bookstore, my hands were shaking. I sat at the bus stop, the ultrasound results still clutched tightly, but my mind drifted to one face: Samuel.
I thought I was fast enough. I thought my premonition all along was just excessive fear. But it turns out… I really need to be more careful.}
I hurried home, but didn’t go straight into the flat. I went around to the back of the building, entered through the kitchen door and peeked through the gap in the curtains. My breathing was heavy. My stomach felt tight, probably from tension. I tried to stay calm, but inside my head, everything was noisy.”
“If he finds me today… what?“}
I walked slowly into the room, sat on the bed, and looked at the wall calendar. There was a small red circle on the date three weeks away. My delivery time was fast approaching. I had to make a decision soon whether to stay in this city or move again.”
But… I’m tired of constantly running away.
That night, I sat on the small balcony while writing my diary. The air was cold, but it made my mind a little clearer.
I write:8
“He’s coming. But I won’t run away the same way. I’m not the same woman anymore. I’m not the Agnesia who was always submissive and silent.
I closed the book, and that’s when the sound of steps came from below.
I took a peek. Leon.
He was standing under a street lamp, looking up at my balcony. I hesitated for a few seconds, but finally went downstairs and approached him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly, trying to sound neutral.”
He shrugged. “I suddenly thought of you. I don’t know why I felt like you needed someone to talk to.”%
I fell silent. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised that he could feel that.”
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I fell silent. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised that he could feel that.”
“Leon…” I looked at him, “do you believe in premonitions?“}
He smiled a little, “Too often. And usually… the hunch is right.“}
I nodded slowly. The night breeze swept through my hair, and for the first time in a long time, I felt not entirely alone.”
But beyond that brief comfort, one thing remains clear: Samuel was near.“]
And time to hide. He can’t know I’m here.>
