Page 62 of Fractured Loyalties

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How he used to test my perception—gaslighting wrapped in romance. He’d shift small things. My toothbrush moved. A different ringtone. A voicemail deleted. He’d swear I imagined it, and after a while, I believed him.

Until I didn’t.

Until I learned to write things down. To timestamp my life.

But even now, I can’t prove this note wasn’t always here. Maybe I missed it. Maybe I’m spiraling.

Or maybe someone is pulling on those old threads just tight enough to see if I’ll fray.

I grab a sticky note from my drawer and write the time. 10:37 a.m.

I place it beside the paper.

I want proof that I’m not losing it.

But the worst part is—if thisisCaleb…then he knows I’ll be too afraid to scream.

I unlock my phone. Open the thread with Elias. It’s empty.

I type:Someone left a note in my office.

Delete.

Try again:Did you see anything unusual this morning?

Delete.

Final attempt:Do you have eyes on the clinic right now?

I hover my thumb over send—

A knock at the door startles me.

My phone slides from my hand onto the desk. Screen goes black.

“Mara?”

It’s Alec.

I clear my throat. “Yeah.”

“Got a second?”

“Sure.”

He opens the door without waiting for a real invitation.

He’s too calm. Casual in a way that doesn’t fit the moment. Slacks, open collar, coffee in hand like we’re about to talk about someone’s overtime hours.

“You okay?” he asks, shutting the door behind him.

I nod. “Just settling in.”

He steps closer. Too close.

“You’ve been...hard to pin down lately.”

I shrug. “Had to take some time. Still doing my job.”

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