CHAPTER 2 — “THE VOICE BEHIND THE DOOR”
The phone’s glow pulsed across the floor like a heartbeat.
She froze when she heard it.
A voice.
Male. Calm. Familiar.
“Hello? I’ve been waiting for this call.”
Her eyes widened. “W-who is this?”
The husband didn’t move. But something subtle tightened in his jaw.
The voice continued.
“You said if she ever called, I should come.”
Silence.
The woman looked up at her husband. “What is he talking about?”
He finally crouched slightly, eyes level with hers.
“Don’t listen,” he said softly. “You’re confused.”
But the voice on the phone laughed once.
“She’s not confused. She’s finally awake.”
The woman’s shaking hand hovered over the phone.
“Please… help me,” she whispered into it.
A pause.
Then—
“I’m already inside.”
A slow sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
The husband stood upright immediately.
For the first time, his composure cracked—just slightly.
The woman dragged herself backward.
The cane on the floor shifted.
Not moved.
Lifted.
From the shadows near the entrance, a man stepped into the light.
May you like
And the husband said one word.
“No.”
