In the shadow of Trouble

The days after the confrontation with Great felt unusually slow for Annie.

Every morning she woke up hoping the weight on her chest would be lighter, but it stayed the same.

She tried to eat for the baby, tried to distract herself with chores, tried to pretend she wasn’t scared about the future. Some hours were better than others. Some felt impossible.

She kept telling herself the same sentence every morning 'Just focus on the baby. Just breathe."

Tasha worked long shifts and came home exhausted, but she never stopped checking on Annie. She cooked for her, fussed over her, and forced her to drink warm tea every night.

Still, Annie felt like she was walking through life with a shadow behind her, the shadow of what she had been through, and the shadow of what was coming next.

But even in the middle of her confusion, something strange kept happening.

She kept seeing him.

It started at the grocery store. Annie stood quietly in the vegetable aisle, staring at a bunch of apples without taking a single one.

She wasn’t really thinking about fruit. Her mind was somewhere else, Great’s last words, the test in her drawer, the future she wasn’t prepared for.

She reached for an apple at the exact same time someone else did. Their fingers brushed.

“Sorry,” a smooth voice said.

Annie froze.

She knew that voice.

She turned, and there he was Ethan Gray. The man from the billboard. The man from the rainy morning when her life had felt like a spinning wheel.

His suit was dark navy today, perfectly fitted, and he held a small shopping basket like he actually belonged in a place as ordinary as a grocery store. His eyes softened when they met hers.

“It’s you,” he said quietly, almost like he wasn’t expecting to see her here either..

“Um… yeah. Hi.”

She felt embarrassed all over again. The last time they met, she had been shivering and emotional, barely keeping herself together. Now here she was again, feeling just as unsteady.

Ethan gave a small smile. “I hope you’ve been okay.”

“I’m fine,” she lied quickly.

Something in his expression told her he didn’t fully believe that, but he didn’t push.

“Well,” he said gently, “it’s good to see you again.”

She smiled back, but something about the moment felt too deep, too much. She mumbled a quick excuse and walked away. She didn’t want him reading her pain like an open book.

But it kept happening.

Two days later, she walked into a small cafe near Tasha’s apartment. It was a quiet morning, and she planned to sit alone, drink tea, and think.

But the moment she stepped inside, she saw him again sitting at a corner table with a cup of black coffee and his phone.

He looked up the second she walked in.

Their eyes met.

He blinked, surprised… then pleased.

Annie almost turned around and walked out, but he stood up before she could.

“Hello again,” he said warmly. “Looks like fate has a sense of humor.”

Annie let out a tiny laugh, nervous and awkward. “Seems that way.”

“Join me?” he asked, calmly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She shouldn’t have. She knew she shouldn’t have. But something about him, his calm voice, the way he didn’t pry, how he simply looked at her like she mattered made her nod.

They sat across from each other, and for a while, they just talked. Not about deep things, not about her pain, not about anything heavy. He asked about her favorite teas.

She asked about his favorite books. They joked about how he didn’t look like someone who went to grocery stores or small cafes.

“You think I only exist on billboards?” he teased.

“Kind of,” she admitted.

He chuckled,“I like normal places. They remind me I’m human.”

She didn’t know what that meant, but it stayed in her mind long after she left.

Three days later, it happened again, at the pharmacy. She stood by the vitamin aisle, calculating what she could afford and what she needed for the pregnancy.

When she turned around, Ethan was a few steps behind her.

He blinked in surprise again, but this time… she saw it in his eyes.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

He had been looking for her.

And somehow, she didn’t feel scared. She felt seen.

“Are you following me?” she asked softly, half teasing, half serious.

Ethan smiled gently. “No. But I have been hoping to run into you.”

He didn’t touch her. He didn’t flirt. He didn’t crowd her or ask too many questions.

He just stood there, giving her space to breathe.

He had a way of looking at her that made her feel safe and exposed at the same time. Annie didn’t know what he wanted from her, but she could feel something shifting, carefully, slowly.

But just as Ethan’s presence brought her calm, Great made sure her peace didn’t last long.

His calls didn’t stop.

Morning, afternoon, midnight, always calling, always texting, always trying to break her down.

Sometimes he begged.

Sometimes he cursed her.

Sometimes he threatened her.

Sometimes he acted like nothing had happened.

Annie blocked his number twice. He used another one each time.

Her anxiety grew like a knot in her stomach.

Then one evening, things went from bad to dangerous.

It was almost 9 PM. Annie sat quietly in Tasha’s living room, wrapped in a blanket. Tasha had gone downstairs to get something from her car, leaving Annie alone for barely two minutes.

That was all it took.

A loud knock slammed against the door.

“Annie! Open this door! Now!” Great’s voice thundered from the hallway.

Annie froze.

Her heart pounded so fast she felt dizzy. She stood up slowly, stepping back from the door, gripping the edge of the couch.

Another bang.

“Are you deaf?! Open this door!”

She swallowed hard. “Great, leave! Please leave.”

“Oh, so you can talk now?” he shouted. “You think you can hide from me? You think you can block me and I won’t show up? Open this door!”

Annie’s hands shook,Tears filled her eyes.

Then, suddenly

“Hey. Step away from the door.”

A calm, deep voice.

Familiar.

Ethan.

Annie gasped, turning toward the hallway.

Ethan stood there, hands in his pockets.

Great’s voice grew louder. “Who the hell are you?!”

Ethan didn’t raise his tone. He didn’t move aggressively. He didn’t shout back.

He simply stepped closer, stopping only a few steps from the door.

“You’re frightening her,” he said, voice low but firm. “Leave now.”

Great laughed, loud and mocking. “Mind your damn business! That’s my woman!”

Ethan didn’t flinch. “She doesn’t want you here.”

“You don’t know anything about me!” Great hissed.

“I don’t need to,” Ethan replied. “I can hear enough.”

Annie could almost feel Great sizing him up from the other side of the door.

But something in Ethan’s voice, maybe the quiet confidence, maybe the warning hidden beneath the calm, made Great hesitate.

His next words were quieter. “Tell him to get lost, Annie. Tell him this has nothing to do with him.”

Annie’s voice cracked as she whispered, “Please leave, Great.”

A long pause.

He walked away angrily.

Annie’s knees nearly buckled.

Ethan turned to her slowly. His expression softened when he saw her shaking.

“You’re okay,” he said gently. “He’s gone.”

Annie covered her face with both hands, sobbing quietly, the fear spilling out all at once.

Ethan didn’t touch her. He didn’t rush her. He simply stayed close enough for her to feel safe, far enough not to overwhelm her.

When she finally lifted her head, he looked at her with a mix of sadness and something deeper, something protective.

“You don’t ever have to handle men like that alone,” he said quietly.

Annie felt her heart tremble.

For the first time in a long time…

she didn’t feel alone.