CHAPTER 2 — “THE CALL THAT SHOULDN’T EXIST”
The hallway outside erupted into movement.
Footsteps. Radios. Voices tightening into urgency.
But inside the room—
Arthur didn’t move.
He adjusted his cufflinks.
Then smiled.
That was worse than anger.
Dr. Hayes returned with a police officer.
“We need to clarify what happened here,” the officer said.
Arthur nodded politely.
“Of course. My daughters are confused. We’ve been through trauma since their father passed.”
Eleanor echoed him immediately.
Too quickly.
“Yes… yes, that’s right.”
Chloe laughed under her breath.
Not humor.
Disgust.
“You practiced that,” she whispered.
Arthur finally looked at her.
“Still dramatic,” he said softly. “Even now.”
Then—
my phone on the bedside table lit up.
Unknown caller.
Answering itself.
A voice came through.
Calm.
Male.
“I told you I’d be watching.”
My blood ran cold.
Chloe froze.
Arthur’s eyes flicked to the phone for half a second.
Just half.
But I saw it.
He recognized the voice.
The officer leaned closer.
“Who is this?”
The voice answered:
“The person he removed from the case file.”
Silence dropped like a stone.
Arthur’s jaw tightened for the first time.
“You shouldn’t be alive in this narrative,” he said quietly.
The voice replied:
“Neither should you.”
And then—
the call ended.
May you like
But the phone didn’t go dark.
It started uploading.
