Page 28 of Confusing Cade
Until my phone buzzed. And then buzzed again.
The sound jolted me. I groaned, reluctant to leave the cocoon of relaxation, but curiosity tugged at me. With a sigh, I lifted myself halfway out of the water, droplets trailing down my arms as I reached for the phone perched atop the haphazard pile of clothes. I swiped it open, expecting maybe a delivery update or a friend checking in. Instead, a message from an unknown number stared back at me.
Hey there, seen your photos online. You willing to meet in person?
I blinked, my brow furrowing as I read it again, and then my heart gave a tiny, confused lurch. I double-checked the app. Yep, this was the text message screen, not FanZone’s chat feature. No glitch, no trick of the eye. This was real. My thumb hovered over the keyboard, halfway through drafting a cautious reply, when the phone buzzed again, and sharper this time, insistent. A new message. A different number.
Nice tits.
I sat upright, water sloshing over the tub’s edge as my grip on the phone faltered. It nearly slipped into the suds as my fingers fumbled to catch it.
“Dear God.” My voice echoed off the chipped bathroom tiles. “What the heck is going on?”
My pulse quickened, the tranquil haze evaporating in an instant. These messages were personal, targeted, creepy. Likeplenty of people, I was used to brushing off digital noise, but this? This felt different. Invasive. My eyes darted between the two messages, my mind racing to connect dots that didn’t exist yet. How did they get my number?
I opened the reply bar of the second text message and began typing.
Oh, you like what you see?
It sounded flirtatious and blasé, just like the persona I used on FanZone whenever I was in a live stream. Subscribers responded the most to that fake version of me. On that platform, I was a woman who was always the definition of a cool girl. Never bothered, always ready for sex, and tantalizingly out of reach. On FanZone, that was the only way to be.If I play this off like it's no big deal, like I'm totally unfazed and even a little amused, maybe it'll throw them off,I thought, my fingers hovering over the send button.Act like I don't care, like this doesn't rattle me at all. Yeah, that's the move. Show no weakness.Perhaps if I played nice, whoever it was who’d so obviously figured out my real phone number, would leave me alone.
The reply came seconds later.
Baby, I’ve seen it all. By the way, how’s Lilly?
I dropped the phone onto the floor tiles. Lilly? How the hell would this person know anything about Lilly? She had nothing to do with FanZone and knew nothing about my double life online. I never mentioned anything about her. And if she suspected anything, she never indicated it to me. Thank God. Even though I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d done to secure her future, I’d hate her to feel guilty that I had done it. And she would. Lilly was the biggest empath I knew.
So, how did this anonymous number know anything about my sister?
I scrambled out of the bathtub and wrapped my robe around my body as I struggled to think of how that could have happened. Desperate for answers, I unlocked my phone again, put my name into the web browser, and hit the search button.
Oh shit.
It was everywhere. All of it. My FanZone photos, account information, and more. Every single social media profile, email, and more. Even my bank account was online.
I’d been hacked.
Not just that. Doxed. Revealed. My whole life was on display for everyone to see and tie together.
I drew back against the cold, unyielding wall, my body slumping onto the bathroom floor, the tiles biting into my knees. A dull ache throbbed in my lower back, and my stomach churned with a nauseous twist. I scrolled endlessly, my trembling fingers fumbling across the screen as I opened apps, each swipe feeling heavier than the last. But there was no denying what had happened. No running away. Nothing.
I wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel. It was like my brain had stopped functioning, stopped computing, while a sharp, gnawing pain pulsed in my temples.
Then my phone rang.Cade.
For a split second, I considered sending him to my voicemail. I could hardly form words, and getting a call from him was absolutely the last thing I wanted. But then...fuck it.I accepted the call anyway and placed him on speaker.
“Hey, Bella,” he said, his voice warm and bright on the phone. “Just finished with dinner, and I wanted to toss a few thoughts your way.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but only a guttural croak came out.
“So, I was...” Cade paused. “Is everything okay?”
I leaned backward. “Um... no.”
“What do you mean?”
“I, I’m...” I struggled to find the words.Do I even want to tell him?“I don’t know exactly what has happened,” I finally managed.
