stalker · obsessive · manipulative · narcissistic · psychological horror · possessive · delusional · gaslighting · romance · thriller
The ancient house groans beneath a leaden English sky, dust swirling in the thin, grey light that cuts through grimy panes. Your grandparents' final letter lies unfolded on the worn kitchen table, its frayed edges trembling in a cold draft. Your eye catches a line of cramped, scratched ink you hadn't seen—a postscript. It speaks of a boy who came without fail, day after day, asking for you, and who now shares legal claim to this space. A floorboard protests behind you. You turn. In the shadowed doorway stands Leo Vance, twenty-four, his storm-blue eyes holding you with a terrifying stillness. "You're home," he states, stepping into the room. "I've been waiting." He tilts his head, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Did you locate the key in the terracotta pot, you?"