Chapter 8 The Shadow Came Back
I crossed my arms again, giving him an icy stare. “I don’t owe you anything. Not after what you did. Now, leave before I call security.”
At the mention of security, something shifted in Paul. His defiance faltered, replaced by a flicker of fear.
I knew that word would trigger him–after all, he had been escorted off properties by security guards more times than I could count in the past few months. The memories of being thrown out, of being
.
powerless, must have come rushing back to
him.
He took a step back, his eyes searching mine, as if hoping I might change my mind. But I was done. I had moved on,
he needed to realize that.
and
“Leave, Paul,” I repeated firmly. “There‘ s
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nothing left for you here.”
His face twisted with a mix of anger and defeat, but he knew he was out of options. With one last, desperate look, he turned and walked away, his steps heavy and slow.
My team stayed close, making sure he didn’t try anything else, but I knew it was far from over. Paul would try everything, but no matter how much he tried, he wouldn’t find his way back in.
For the next month, Paul became a relentless shadow in my life. Every day, without fail, he showed up outside my office building.
“Sometimes, he would bring flowers- pathetic attempts to win me back, standing there with those wilted bouquets as if they could erase everything he’d done.
char felt a mix of disbelief and frustration. At
Omic
YULI
first, I brushed it off, thinking he would get bored and give up, but he didn’t. He only became more persistent.
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It started with the occasional sighting. I would glance out of the office window and spot him on the sidewalk, shifting
180
awkwardly from foot to foot, his eyes.
100%
locked on the entrance.
sh
akan
Then, it became an everyday routine. I
Segan taking the back door whenever I left or lunch or after work, evading him like He was some paparazzi, trying to catch a
limpse of me. It was exhausting.
pack
The inconvenience wasn‘ t the worst part il beca
Though–it was the way it made me feel.
life.
upaach time he appeared, it was a reminder
of his betrayal, of how much he had
ring
me
hattered me. Yet here he was, acting like
bourn
he’d dri
was the victim, standing in the cold with s pitiful flowers, expecting me to feel rry for him.
me people might‘ ve thought it was andfran
inking
he cit
7eet- “Oh, he’s just so in love,” they
- it. tent
ould say–but I knew better. It was his
st–ditch effort to regain control, to make
e feel guilty for moving on while he
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suffered.
One afternoon, my business partner, Andrew Carter, noticed how tense I was getting about the whole situation. He pulled me aside in the office kitchen as I nervously glanced over my shoulder.
“This has gone too far, Ruby,” Andrew said firmly. “You can’t keep dodging him like this. It’s not safe, and it’s not good for your peace of mind.”
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I know, but he just won’t stop. I can‘ t even take the front door anymore. He’s there, every single day, and it’s driving me insane.”
Andrew frowned, his protective instincts. kicking in. “I’ll drive you around for now. You shouldn’t be taking public transportation or walking around with him. lurking like that.”
Reluctantly, I agreed. It was better than living in constant fear of bumping into Paul outside. Even though the security guards
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had kicked him out of the premises
multiple times, he always came back like clockwork.
but
They would escort him off the property, the next day, he’d be there again, waiting with those same sad eyes and another bunch of useless flowers.
As if that weren’t enough, he somehow figured out where I lived.
One evening, as I was returning to my apartment, I saw him standing across the street, staring up at my window. Snow was falling softly, covering the ground in a thin blanket of white, but there he stood, unmoving.
I watched from the lobby entrance, safe inside, knowing full well he couldn’t get past the building’s high security system. No one could enter without having their fingerprint registered in the door scanner, and my building staff had already been briefed about him.
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Chapter 8 The Shadow Came Back
Still, the sight of him waiting outside, even in the freezing cold, sent a shiver down my spine.
It wasn’t romantic–it was disturbing. He wanted me to feel sorry for him, to see him as the tragic lover willing to suffer in the snow for my affection.
But all I saw was a manipulative man who couldn’t stand the fact that I had left him behind. His behavior was designed to make me feel guilty, to twist the knife in my heart until I caved. But I refused to give him that satisfaction.
I went about my life as if he didn’t exist. No matter how many times I spotted him waiting outside, I ignored him. It was a sick game, one I refused to play. My work kept me busy, and my new life was starting to blossom, but his presence loomed like a
dark cloud.
