Chapter 7
Her
I stand outside Maddie's door, my knuckles rapping against the wood three times before I can talk myself out of it. My heart pounds in my chest like it's trying to escape, each beat a reminder of the nightmare that's swallowed my life whole over the past few days.
The shower video, that grainy clip of me stepping out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, oblivious to the hidden camera, arrived just an hour ago, attached to a text that made my stomach churn with violation and rage.
I couldn't stay in that flat alone, not with Ryan's betrayal still fresh and the stalker's eyes everywhere. Maddie is my safe harbor, the one person who won't judge, so here I am, knocking louder now because waiting feels like drowning.
The door swings open, and Maddie's face appears, her blonde waves pulled back in a messy ponytail that does nothing to hide the worry creasing her brow.
She takes one look at me, eyes red from crying, jacket clutched tight around my middle like armor, and pulls me into a hug before I can even speak.
“Ree. Oh my God, get in here.” Her voice is thick with concern as she steps aside, but the moment she sees my face properly, she freezes. “Iris… what the hell? Did Ryan do this to you?”
She quickly moves aside, guiding me inside. “Come on, sit down before you collapse.”
I step inside, the door clicking shut behind me, and that's when I spot Al on the couch, his long legs stretched out and a sketchpad balanced on his knee. He looks up from whatever he's doodling, his easy smile fading the second he sees my face.
"Iris? Shit, what's going on?" He asks, tossing the pad aside and standing up in one fluid motion.
His eyes flick between Maddie and me, reading the tension like it's written in bold letters. "You texted us that cryptic 'need to talk' an hour ago. Is it Ryan again?"
Maddie guides me to the armchair across from the couch, her hand firm on my elbow as if she's afraid I'll bolt.
She lives alone in this sleek flat her dad set her up with. Montclair Industries, the massive tech conglomerate her family runs, has more money than they know what to do with, but Maddie insisted on her own space freshman year, tired of the family estate feeling like a museum.
Her father caved, of course, buying her this place outright with all the bells and whistles, but she's made it her own with theater posters and mismatched throw pillows that scream independence. Right now, though, none of that registers. I'm just grateful for the familiarity of her hovering.
I sink into the chair, my legs folding under me as exhaustion hits like a wave.
"It's... everything." I start, my voice cracking on the first word.
The words tumble out then, a flood I can't dam up anymore. From the first creepy text about my blue shirt, to the sandwich under my desk that proved someone was watching every move, to Ryan's shouts and that cruel jab about my parents' accident being my fault.
I tell them about the photos of him with other women, the way his hands gripped too tight during arguments, the threats from the stalker that kept me silent. And then the video.
The one that crossed every line, capturing me naked and vulnerable in what was supposed to be my private space. By the time I finish, my throat aches from the telling, and tears stream down my face unchecked.
Maddie sits frozen on the arm of my chair, her hand gripping my shoulder so tightly it might bruise.
“Jesus Christ, Ree.” She whispers.
Her face is pale as milk as she wipes at her eyes.
“A camera? In your shower? That’s not just stalking. That’s a felony.”
She shakes her head, disbelief flooding her voice.
“And Ryan… God. Why didn’t you say something sooner? We could’ve helped. We could’ve gotten you out of there weeks ago.”
Al is pacing in front of the coffee table, fists clenched at his sides. Anger rolls off him like heat from a fire.
“This is insane.” He runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “Is your asshole boyfriend trying to play house with half the city?”
He stops and looks straight at me. “And what about this stalker? These messages you’ve been getting. How long has that been going on?”
I wipe my nose with the sleeve of my jacket.
“You thought we wouldn’t believe you?” He continues, his voice tightening. “Or what? That we’d laugh it off?”
“I didn’t…”
“Iris,” he cuts in, softer now but no less intense, “you’re our family.” He gestures between himself and Maddie. “We would’ve burned the world down for you.”
My chest tightens.
“I thought it was a prank at first.” I admit quietly. “Some idiot from class messing with me.”
Maddie frowns.
“The texts started light.” I continue. “And I didn’t want to drag you two into my paranoia. By the time the video came… I was too scared to even breathe wrong.”
Al’s jaw tightens. “That freak threatened you?”
“He said if I told anyone,” I whisper, “you’d get hurt.”
Maddie goes still. “What?”
“He said if I went to the cops… or told you guys… you’d be next.”
Silence fills the room. Then Maddie suddenly stands, grabbing my hands and pulling me up with her. “Screw that.”
Her green eyes flash with fierce determination. “No more hiding, Ree.”
She squeezes my hands. “We’re going to the police. Right now.”
“Mads…”
“A stalker installed a camera in your home.” She continues. “That's an invasion on steroids.”
“And Ryan?” She adds bitterly. “Abusive piece of shit cheating behind your back.”
Her jaw tightens. “They need to haul his ass in for questioning. You don’t have to face this alone anymore.”
Fear coils in my chest. I pull my hands back slightly.
“We can’t, Mads.” I say, panic creeping into my voice. “He said if I involve anyone, police, you guys, he’ll make it worse.”
My voice shakes. “What if he comes after you? Or Al? I couldn’t live with that.”
“He’s watching everything.” I whisper. “He knew I almost called 999 last week. Sent a threat before I even hit the button.”
Al stops pacing. He crosses his arms and steps closer. “Let him try.”
His voice is calm, but hard as steel. “I’d like to see this coward show his face. Some keyboard warrior thinks he can terrorize you with videos and texts?”
A humorless smile touches his lips. “He picks a fight with you, he gets all three of us.”
Maddie nods immediately. “We go to the cops. They’ve got resources. Protocols. You file a report, get a restraining order on Ryan, and they track this creep down.”
She’s already grabbing her keys from the side table. “Come on.” She says, shrugging into her coat. “My car’s downstairs. We’ll be in and out. And then we crash here tonight.”
She glances between us. Their determination wraps around me like a lifeline.
“Okay.” I whisper finally. “But if anything feels off… We bail. I can’t lose you two to this mess.”
We head out together, the elevator ride down a blur of Maddie's reassuring squeezes on my arm. By the time we pile into her car, the leather seats cool against my thighs, the weight of what we're doing settles heavier.
This is it. Crossing the threshold from secret suffering to seeking help. I cling to that hope, even as my phone stays silent in my pocket, a ticking bomb I pray doesn't detonate.
Just as Maddie pulls out of the garage, Al's phone rings, the shrill tone cutting through the tension like a knife. He fishes it out, glancing at the screen with a groan.
"Dad." He mutters, swiping to answer. "Yeah, what's up…? I'm in the middle of something…. Can it wait?"
We can hear the muffled baritone on the other end, urgent and clipped, and Al's face tightens, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"Now? Seriously? I told you, I'm handling my own shit…. Fine, what is it?"
There's a pause, longer this time, and whatever his father says makes Al's shoulders slump. "Jesus! Yeah, okay, I'm coming. Give me twenty."
He hangs up, tossing the phone onto the dash with a sigh that carries the weight of family expectations.
Maddie glances at him in the rearview mirror, her brow furrowing.
“What was that about?”
Al leans forward between the seats, forcing a grin that looks more like a grimace.
“Urgent family matter.” He says. “Some board drama with my dad’s firm.”
He shrugs. “Apparently he doesn’t want to deal with it alone.”
Maddie raises a brow. “And that couldn’t wait?”
“I said the same thing.” Al replies. “But then he starts muttering about cutting me out of the will if I don’t show some loyalty.”
He rolls his eyes. “Jokingly, of course. Dad loves a dramatic threat.”
There’s no real humor in his voice.
“Anyway,” he continues, straightening, “you two go ahead to the station without me.”
“What?” I turn in my seat to face him.
“File the report.” He says. “Get the ball rolling.”
He points between us.
“And text me every update. Hell, live-stream it if you have to.”
A faint smile touches his mouth. “I’ll catch up after I play peacemaker.”
“You sure?” I ask. “We can wait.”
“Nah.” He reaches forward and squeezes my shoulder.
“This creep’s had you cornered long enough. Go kick some doors down.”
I hesitate.
“I’ll be fine.” He adds. “Dad’s bark is worse than his bite.”
Then he smirks. “Just promise me you’ll protect Mads from her own mouth if the cops get mouthy.”
Maddie snorts and flips him off over her shoulder. “As if. Drive safe, statue boy.”
“And tell your dad if he cuts you off,” she adds, “you’re crashing on our couch permanently.”
Al laughs. An actual laugh this time.
The car slows at the next light, and he hops out, jogging back toward his car parked a block away. I watch him disappear down the pavement.
A small knot forms in my stomach. Splitting up suddenly feels like tempting fate. Maddie’s hand finds mine across the console, warm and steady.
“He’s right.” She says softly. “We’ve got this. One step at a time.”
~