Page 12 of Stalked By the Accountant

I close my eyes, recalling her smile, her laugh, the warmth of her embrace. If love alone were enough to make her stay, she never would have left. Now there's nothing left but the ghost of what we once had—and the sinking realization that I may never get her back.

My fingers tighten around the phone as I stare at her name in my contacts. All it would take is one call. A few words to tell her how much she means to me. That I'm ready to change.

But she's made it clear she doesn't want to hear it. That she can't trust me anymore. I drove her away with my selfishness and obsession, too blinded by my own feelings to see how much pain it caused her.

The phone slips from my grasp, tumbling to the floor. How did I become this person? When did wanting someone so badly turn into needing them at the expense of everything else?

Becca saw through me in a way no one else could.

I bury my face in my hands as a sob rises in my chest. It's too late now. The damage is done. No amount of change or pleading will undo what I've already destroyed.

All that's left is the hollow ache of loss and the hard-won truth that if I can't learn to let go, I'll be alone forever. The life I dreamed of—the one with Becca by my side—is gone.

Slipping through my fingers like sand. A future lost before it ever had the chance to begin.

* * *

That night, sleep eludes me. The hours pass in a haze of tears and restless tossing, my mind filled with memories of happier times. Of Becca's smile, her laugh, the warmth of her embrace. They haunt me, a reminder of all I can never have again.

When exhaustion finally claims me, I dream of Becca. We're together the way we used to be, curled up on the couch watching our favorite movies. She looks at me with love and trust in her eyes, the walls between us crumbled to dust. I cling to the dream, not wanting to wake and face the harsh light of reality.

But morning comes, and I'm alone.

The next day drags on, seconds ticking into minutes that feel like hours. Work provides little distraction. At every turn, I'm reminded of Becca and the life we were building. Each memory cuts like a knife, carving deeper into the rawness of my broken heart.

By the time I leave the office, I have only one thought in my mind. To see Becca, if only for a moment. To hear her voice and look into her eyes, hoping for any sign that she still cares.

I know it's selfish. That I should give her space and time, but the need to be near her consumes me. It's an ache I'm powerless to resist. Before I realize what I'm doing, I'm outside her apartment, wondering if she's alone or if there's someone else there to comfort her.

The thought makes me sick. I lean against the wall, struggling to breathe through the constriction in my chest. She's gone, slipped through my fingers because I couldn't love her the way she deserved.

I stare at her window all night before I finally drag myself into work with no sleep. What's the point anyway? Nothing matters anymore without her.

I bury myself in work, staying late into the evenings and volunteering for every project that comes my way. It's the only thing that dulls the ache in my chest, the only distraction powerful enough to quiet my thoughts.

But in the silence of the night, Becca comes to me. Her smile, her laugh, the warmth in her eyes when she looks at me. The memories haunt my dreams until I wake trembling and alone, reaching for a ghost that will never again be at my side.

The pain is a penance I deserve for the way I treated her.

No matter what I do, my thoughts keep drifting to Becca. I wonder if she's thinking of me too, if she regrets leaving me behind. The thought of her with another man makes my blood boil.

I have to accept that she's gone. That the life we could have built together will remain nothing more than a fantasy. Letting go is the only way to save us both, but forgetting Becca feels like an impossibility.

My coworkers notice the dark circles under my eyes and the fatigue in my movements. They ask if everything is alright, but I brush off their concern with practiced indifference. What would they say if they knew the truth? That the man they trusted, the one with numbers always at his fingertips, is little more than a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The urge to call Becca rises and falls like the tides, an ebb and flow of compulsion I'm powerless to escape. I wonder if she's changed her number yet or if she'd even answer if I tried. Apologies and promises spill through my mind, a jumble of words that could never undo the damage I've done.

When the phone on my desk rings, for a fleeting moment I mistake the sound for her laughter. The sharp sting of disappointment is yet another reminder that she is lost to me forever. I steel my nerves and answer the call, burying my anguish beneath the mask I wear for the outside world. The beast within snarls in discontent, raging against its cage and the loss of its mate.

I know then what I must do, the steps that could lead me out of darkness and into the light.

I drive to Becca's apartment, my heart pounding with each turn of the wheel. So much is at stake in this moment, our future hanging in the balance. Will she see the changes I've made and give me another chance? Or have I lost her forever to the memory of the man I once was?

When I arrive, the door to her apartment is ajar. Panic rises in my chest as I rush inside, scanning the room. And there, pinning Becca against the wall with a knife to her throat, is a stranger.

Rage erupts within me, hot and primal, banishing all thoughts but one.

Protect her.

---