Page 159 of Love Me Stalk Me
Different faces coming in and out of his building, security footage showing them entering late at night, leaving early in the morning.
Even when Izzy called him to break up, there was already another woman in his apartment.
Which meant he wasn't faithful.
So why the fuck had he been so possessive?
Why drag Izzy through the mud for years if he had been sleeping around? Why snap when she tried to leave?
None of his behaviors added up. His entire life story was a fabrication.
Which meant I had more work to do.
Because this wasn't just about Izzy anymore. Evan was involved in something illegal. And I was going to find out what.
I had, of course, been monitoring Izzy's calls since the attack.
Was it an invasion of privacy?
Yeah.
Did Igive a fuck?
No.
She was too vulnerable, too raw, too easy to manipulate in this state.
So if Evan was going to try to crawl back into her life, I was going to make sure it didn't happen.
And of course, he tried.
He called her the day he got out on bond and left a voicemail. That was my mistake. I should have been more proactive in blocking his number. With the restraining order in place, it didn't dawn on me that he'd violate it so quickly. I know she saw the call come through, saw the voicemail, but hadn't listened to it. But I had.
"Izzy, you're being dramatic. You know you overreacted. We just had a fight, that's all. You're probably feeling really emotional right now, but I forgive you for what happened. You should call me back so we can talk this through. Don't throw away what we have over some misunderstanding. You and I both know I didn't mean any of it. You'll regret this. Just call me."
Gaslighting.
Manipulation.
It made my blood boil.
I blocked his number immediately, which didn't stop him from trying again. Three times a day, like clockwork, he would continue to attempt to call. He persisted in leaving voicemails. He kept trying to get inside her head.
Thankfully, she was unaware of any of it.
And I was going to keep it that way.
Because the only reality more infuriating than what he had already done was the fact that he was continuously trying to worm his way back in.
The other call she hadn't answered was from the District Attorney's office. They needed her to testify. They said without her testimony, they probably wouldn't take the case to trial.
She hadn't called them back.
I already knew why.
Her confidence wasn't where it should be. Testifying in open court about an attempted rape wasn't an experience just anyone could endure. Even the strongest people in the world would struggle with it.
And Izzy—as strong as she was, as far as she had come—was still healing. It was a conversation I would have to have with her eventually. A process I'd have to help her work through. Because there was no way in hell I was letting Evan get away with what he did. But, at the end of the day, whether or not she wanted to testify would ultimately be her decision.
