Chapter 4

The case was soon transferred to the cybercrime unit. Detective Silas Mercer, who was assigned to the investigation, didn't immediately dismiss my story. Instead, he went back through everything that had happened from the beginning.

"You refused to meet him, and he knew. You called the police, and he knew. You went to the hospital, and he knew that too."

"Yes."

"Every time he managed to find you, what did you have with you?"

"My phone."

"What about at the hospital?"

"The police had taken my phone."

"Your clothes, keys, jewelry… Was there anything you had with you every time?"

I paused. "I didn't notice."

Silas decided to conduct a completely controlled test. They took away my clothes, phone, keys, and jewelry. The police gave me an entirely new set of clothes and placed me in a windowless room with no connection to any outside network.

Even the test phone was taken out of its sealed box right in front of me.

Silas slid the phone across the table. "Use a new account to contact Caden."

"He won't accept the request."

"Try anyway."

I created a new messaging account, searched for Caden's profile, and sent him a friend request.

I typed, "This is Maisie. I'm willing to meet you."

One minute passed without a response. Then ten. Still nothing.

I sent another request, this time including the room number, the floor, and even the door code.

Caden never appeared.

The test continued for a full 20 hours. For the first time since I came back to life, I didn't receive a single message from him.

Silas placed the test results in front of me. "There's no malware on your phone, and there are no records of any unusual logins to your messaging account. No one tried to contact you during the controlled test either."

"Because he knew the police were here."

"How would he know that?"

I couldn't answer.

Silas continued, "There were no traces of the red writing at Brielle's house, and the server at the coffee shop simply slipped by accident. As for the electric scooter, we haven't been able to identify the rider yet."

"So you think I'm crazy too?"

"I didn't say that."

"But that's what you mean."

Silas was silent for a moment. "Maisie, you haven't had a proper night's sleep in days. When someone is under extreme fear and stress, they can misinterpret things."

"He's coming to kill me at midnight."

"Do you have any proof?"

My lips parted, but no words came out. That message had disappeared too.

Silas glanced at the time. "Maisie, we can't keep everyone here waiting because of a message that no longer exists."

I dug my nails into my palm. There were only 15 minutes left until midnight.

The police no longer believed me. Brielle was lying in a hospital bed because of me. If I couldn't figure out how Caden was watching me, I was going to die for a third time.

A staff member brought in my personal belongings. My phone, keys, earbuds, and several sealed evidence bags were placed on the table one by one.

Silas signed the handover form. "During the test, we kept all of these in a shielded storage cabinet outside the room to eliminate any possible interference. Check everything. If there's nothing wrong, sign here."

The moment my old phone was placed on the table, the screen suddenly lit up. Caden had sent me a message. "Baby, I'm here to pick you up."

Below it was a bright red countdown.

14:59.

14:58.

I stared at the numbers ticking down as everything that had happened over the past few days flashed through my mind.

Calling the police hadn't worked. Changing locations hadn't worked. Getting rid of my phone hadn't worked. Even the police sting hadn't been enough to force him to show himself.

I'd kept changing my choices. But no matter where I ran, Caden always found me first.

Except during those 20 hours. He hadn't sent me a single message. And now, the moment the test was over, he had appeared again. There was no way that was a coincidence.

The countdown kept ticking.

14:32.

14:31.

If I didn't change something, I would die at his hands in 15 minutes, just as I had in my previous two lives.

But this time, something was different.

I stared at the items on the table, mentally piecing together every detail from the past few days.

Then, it hit me.

I snapped my head up. "I know how he's doing it."