I came home from work and had just stepped one foot inside when strange text popped up in front of my eyes: [DON’T GO IN! Your obsessive ex-boyfriend is here to kill you. The second you’re inside, he’ll turn you into a human pincushion! RUN!] [Well, the side character brought this on herself. She knew the guy has major abandonment issues, but she still drained his wallet dry and then dumped him. Serves her right for being a gold digger!] I was terrified, but also completely bewildered. I’ve been single my entire twenty-five years of life. When the hell did I become a money-grubbing scammer?! While I was still frozen in shock, a pale, slender hand shot out from the darkness, clamped around my arm, and yanked me into the apartment. 1 The moment the door clicked shut, the cold edge of a blade pressed against my neck. A man’s voice, dark and unhinged, whispered in my ear. “Baby, wasn’t I good to you? Why did you break up with me?” I fought back the urge to scream, my voice trembling as I spoke. “Sir, I think you have the wrong person. I’ve been single my whole life. I’ve never even been in a relationship.” Not even online! He got angry. The pressure on the knife increased, its sharp tip piercing my skin. “What did you just say, baby?” [This girl is so dumb. The guy has been abandoned his whole life; it’s his biggest trigger. And she’s denying their online relationship? She’s practically begging him to kill her!] [Yeah, if she just begged him to take her back now, he might actually spare her.] Panic seized me. I decided to trust the pop-ups and started to cry. “I’m-I’m sorry. I didn’t really want to break up.” A cold laugh echoed in the dark. “What was that, baby? I don’t think I heard you.” I choked back a sob and repeated, “I don’t want to break up.” “Do you really mean it?” I nodded furiously. “Yes!” His tone brightened instantly. “Alright then. I’ll give you one last chance.” I nodded like my life depended on it. But he didn’t let me go. He tied my hands and feet with a rope he’d brought with him and tossed me onto the sofa. Then he sat down on a low stool in front of me, staring at me in the pitch-black room without saying a word. His gaze sent shivers down my spine, and my body wouldn’t stop trembling. I knew what he was thinking: Should I kill her? When should I kill her? Even though I was certain he had the wrong person, I didn’t dare bring it up again. 2 I’d needed to use the restroom when I got home, and after holding it for half an hour, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I stammered, “Can I… can I please use the bathroom?” He didn’t answer at first. After about five seconds, he stood up abruptly without a word. I jumped, instinctively shrinking into the corner of the sofa. He loomed over me. My fear peaked. Just as a scream was about to tear from my throat, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me toward the bathroom. He set me down in front of the toilet, cut the ropes on my hands with his knife, and walked out, closing the door behind him before I could say a thing. I knew he was waiting right outside, but I had no choice. It was better than wetting myself. I briefly considered trying to fight back, but quickly gave up the idea. I didn’t have the skills to overpower him. Any sudden moves would just get me killed faster. After slowly washing my hands, I took a deep breath and called out, “I’m done.” He still didn’t bother to reply, simply pushing the door open and walking in. He carried me back to the sofa and tied my hands again. Just when I thought he would go back to his stool, he leaned over me once more. My heart stopped, my breath catching in my throat. He traced my lips with his thumb, the pressure gradually increasing. His heavy breathing was loud in the silent darkness. My scalp tingled with fear. I was terrified he was about to assault me, but then a twisted thought crossed my mind: if sleeping with him would make him spare my life, maybe I could accept it. Turns out, I was overthinking it. It wasn’t lust in his eyes. It was murder. “What have I ever denied you? Why did you have to break up with me?” My throat felt tight. “I’m… I’m sorry,” I managed to say. “It won’t happen again.” He let out a hollow chuckle, though whether it was at my expense or his own, I couldn’t tell. Thankfully, he didn’t torture me further and returned to his stool. I let out a long, shaky breath. [He came here ready to kill her, but now he can’t bring himself to do it. This guy is down bad.] [He’s always been pathetic. He knew she was a gold digger but still willingly threw money at her. He wouldn’t have snapped if she hadn’t suddenly broken up with him.] The pop-ups were right. He was pathetically devoted. But I wasn’t the one who scammed him! This was all a horrible mistake. With that thought, I decided to try one last time. I took a deep breath, mustering my courage. “Do you even know my name?” He looked up at me, his voice a slow, mocking drawl. “Thea. Twenty-five years old. Graduated from City University. Five-foot-four, about a hundred and ten pounds. Allergic to shellfish, hates snails…” The flicker of hope in my heart died with every word he spoke. All the information was correct. Unless I had amnesia, someone had stolen my identity and started a relationship with him. Someone who knew me very, very well. Who? Who would do this to me? 3 The room fell into a deathly silence again, so quiet I could hear my own frantic heartbeat. I couldn’t stand the silent torment. Despair began to creep in. “I’ve been single my whole life,” I sobbed. “I’ve never been in a relationship, not even online. If you don’t believe me, you can check my phone.” He turned his head, his gaze piercing through the darkness. Even though I couldn’t see his expression, I knew he was seconds away from killing me. [She’s really not afraid to die, is she? Still denying she ever dated him.] [I’m a little worried blood is gonna splash on my screen.] [Don’t say that, I’m scared he’s about to snap.] I didn’t dare say another word, my fear dissolving into quiet whimpers. He watched me for a moment, then looked away. He pulled my phone from his pocket, slipped on a pair of gloves, and demanded, “Password.” I blinked, a spark of hope igniting. “552233,” I said quickly. His goal was clear. He opened my forum app first, scrolling through my profile page. He was too far away for me to see what he was looking for. After two minutes, his frantic scrolling slowed to a stop. He stared intently at the screen. My heart leaped into my throat. Did he find… what he was looking for? A cold, sharp laugh cut through the silence. My stomach dropped. He exited the forum app and opened my chat history. After a single glance, he slammed the phone face down on the coffee table and pressed the knife to my neck again. “Do you really think I’m that stupid?” I wanted to defend myself, but the words wouldn’t come. “I really… didn’t…” [Well, she asked for it. I can’t believe how dumb this girl is!] [For real. She’s so clueless I’m starting to wonder if she was set up lol.] [He was actually hesitating before. Great, now he’s dead set on sending her on her way.] I had been holding it together, but seeing the pop-ups, I finally broke down completely. “I don’t know who you think I am, but I swear I’ve never been in a relationship with you!” I wailed. “I’ve never dated anyone!” Whatever monster pretended to be me and did this, I swear I’ll haunt them for eternity! [You know, I’m starting to think she really doesn’t know what’s going on.] [I get that feeling too. The girl who was dating him online seemed way smarter than this.] [Wait, could someone have impersonated her to date him?] [Probably not. When he was checking her phone just now, he must have found proof that she was the one. Otherwise, why would he have flipped out like that?] [I’m confused. Is this some kind of parallel universe crossover?] [I’ve read the source material, there’s nothing like that in the plot. So probably not.] 4 In the end, he didn’t use the knife. My sobs gradually subsided into quiet sniffles. “I really didn’t date you online. If you don’t believe me, I…” Grrrrroooowwwl. My stomach let out an incredibly ill-timed rumble. I had worked until 7:30 and hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I was starving. This was so embarrassing. I instinctively tried to deny it. “I’m not…” Ruuuumble-rumble-rumble. I lost all will to argue. [Girl: I’m not hungry. Stomach: I BEG TO DIFFER.] [I bet he’s gonna go make her dinner now.] [No way.] [I’ll bet you a bag of chips he does. It fits his pathetically devoted persona.] After about ten seconds of silence, the man stood up and walked toward the kitchen. The pop-ups went wild: [Dude, come on. She dumped you, and now you’re making her noodles with a straight face? How is that any different from doing her laundry?] [I hereby declare you the Simp King of the Year!] For a second, I wondered if I really did have amnesia and had wronged him. But I was certain my memory was perfectly intact. Could it really be a parallel universe thing, like the pop-ups said? I had no idea. Half an hour later, he came out with a large bowl of tomato and egg noodles. He didn’t untie me. Instead, he picked up the chopsticks and held a bite to my lips. “Can I eat by myself?” I asked cautiously. “I promise I won’t try anything.” “No,” he said without hesitation. I didn’t dare ask again and let him feed me. It was awkward at first, but I slowly got used to it. The noodles were surprisingly delicious. But no matter how good they were, I couldn’t finish the whole bowl. After about a third of it, I shook my head. “I’m full.” He didn’t force me. He wiped my mouth with a napkin, then turned his back to me and started eating the rest himself. I stared, dumbfounded. The pop-ups started up again: [Seriously? Is there no limit to his devotion?] [The way he’s going, he’d probably kill her and then immediately kill himself to join her.] [He’s completely obsessed. He didn’t care when she scammed him out of all his savings, but the second she said she never liked him and wanted to break up, he decided on murder. He probably thinks eating her leftovers is a reward.] Despite everything, a shiver still ran down my spine. And even if I did have amnesia, I knew my own character. I would never scam someone or play with their feelings like that. So, who the hell pretended to be me and dated him online?!
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