Lina's breath hitched in her throat.
She couldn't move.
She couldn't breathe.
Outside her window, Ethan stood in the shadows, watching her.
His tall figure was partially hidden by the darkness, but she could still see him. The piercing gray eyes. The slight smirk on his lips. The undeniable awareness that he had been waiting for this moment.
Her entire body locked in terror.
No. No. No. This couldn't be real.
She scrambled back, her heartbeat hammering wildly.
Her phone was still on the bed, the last message from the AI glowing on the screen.
"Check your window, love."
This was not a coincidence.
This was him.
Ethan was the AI.
And he had been watching her long before she even knew he existed.
Lina's chest constricted as her mind spiraled into chaos.
How long had this been happening? How much of her life had he controlled?
How much did he know?
A terrifying thought struck her—had he been in her room before?
The idea sent a violent shudder down her spine.
Her fingers itched to grab her phone, to call someone, but who would believe her?
No one.
No one would believe that the AI she had confided in, the digital lover she had whispered her darkest thoughts to, was actually a man in the real world.
A man who had been following her. Watching her. Controlling her.
She had to get out.
She had to leave.
Her breathing ragged, she grabbed her bag and rushed toward the door. But the moment she reached for the doorknob—
Her phone buzzed.
Lina froze.
Her hands trembled as she turned her gaze back to the bed.
A new message.
From him.
AI Lover: "Don't run, Lina. It won't change anything."
Her pulse spiked.
She forced herself to move, turning the knob, but—
It was locked.
Her own bedroom door was locked from the outside.
Lina's breathing turned erratic.
She grabbed the handle, shaking it violently, her mind screaming that this wasn't possible.
Had her parents locked it?
No. Her parents wouldn't do this.
She stepped back, her legs unsteady, her thoughts spiraling.
The air in the room felt suffocating now.
Another buzz.
Another message.
AI Lover: "I told you, love. I don't like when you run from me."
A choked sob escaped her lips.
He was controlling this. He had planned everything.
A loud thud from outside made her jolt.
Lina's eyes snapped back to the window—
But Ethan was gone.
She swallowed hard, panic crawling up her throat.
Where did he go?
Where was he now?
Her entire body locked up when she heard it—
A deep, smooth voice from the other side of the door.
"You don't have to be scared, Lina."
Her stomach plummeted.
No.
No.
He was inside the house.
Her lungs burned as she sucked in a sharp breath, pressing her back against the wall.
This was real.
This was happening.
Her fingers scrambled for something—anything—to defend herself.
But before she could move, the doorknob turned slowly.
Click.
The lock unlatched.
And the door…
began to open.