Well, she definitely hadn't been prepared for him to freaking ghost her.
WTF.
She swore under her breath, the sound sharp in the stillness of the gym.
Two weeks.
Two long, agonizing weeks since the last red note appeared.
At first, she'd felt relief, who wouldn't?
The thrill of his presence, the unsettling tension of being watched, it was gone. She was free.
But now?
She punched the bag in front of her with a force that echoed through the empty gym.
The leather groaned under her assault, but it wasn't enough to drown out the chaos in her mind.
The gloves wrapped tightly around her fists did little to protect her knuckles from the ache that matched the one in her chest.
Two weeks, and she'd realized something she hadn't expected. She missed it. She missed him.
Her mind rebelled at the thought. She should be thrilled, overjoyed that her stalker the man who had turned her life into a psychological labyrinth was gone.
No more red sticky notes with cryptic messages left in places only he could reach. No more feeling eyes on her when she walked home at night.
No more glancing over her shoulder only to find nothing there.
No more obsession.
She'd thought that was what she wanted.
Her fist slammed into the bag again, harder this time, the chain above it rattling. She couldn't explain the hollowness that had taken its place.
The absence of his notes, his presence, it gnawed at her. She had started to crave it, crave him.
Her stomach twisted at the realization, a sick blend of self-loathing and longing.
What was wrong with her?
Sweat dripped from her forehead as she leaned her head against the boxing bag, the cool leather pressing against her skin.
Her breaths came out in short, ragged bursts, the gym silent except for the faint hum of the overhead lights.
She was free now. She repeated it to herself like a mantra, a desperate attempt to believe it. She had peace. No more games. No more danger.
Her mind screamed in denial.
The truth was, she didn't feel free. She felt abandoned.
And it made her angry, angrier than she'd been in a long time. The fact that she missed him, that she even cared, was like a poison she couldn't purge.
Deep inside, she knew the truth. She didn't just miss the notes. She missed him.
The presence that had invaded her life so thoroughly it had become part of her. The twisted connection between them, the push and pull, the thrill of knowing he was there even when she couldn't see him.
Her fists clenched as she pressed her forehead harder against the bag. She was pathetic, wasn't she? A ridiculous, broken mess of contradictions.
And yet, as the seconds ticked by, she couldn't stop herself from whispering into the empty gym.
"Where are you?"
Her voice was hoarse, barely audible, but the words hung in the air like a confession.
She didn't expect an answer.