Amelia stood at the kitchen counter, sorting through a stack of mail. Bills, advertisements, a letter from the twins’ school—it all seemed routine until her fingers brushed an envelope with no return address. Her stomach churned as she opened it, the contents making her blood run cold.
The note was printed on plain white paper: “I see him at soccer practice. Maybe I’ll say hello next time.”
Her hands trembled as she reread the message, each word like a dagger. The implication was unmistakable—whoever was harassing them had been watching Damien.
“Ryan!” she called, her voice tight with panic.
He entered the room quickly, his expression darkening as she thrust the note at him. He scanned the words, his jaw tightening. “That’s it,” he muttered, slamming the paper onto the counter. “This stops now.”
“What are you going to do?” Amelia asked, her voice shaky.
“I’m going to make sure they can’t get close,” Ryan growled.
Over the next few days, Ryan began shadowing the twins during their activities. At soccer practice, he stood on the sidelines, his eyes scanning the field and the perimeter for anything unusual. His presence was a palpable shield, but it didn’t sit well with Amelia.
“You’re making them nervous,” she said one evening as he followed them to their extracurriculars. “They need to feel safe, not smothered.”
“I’m not taking chances with their safety, Amelia,” Ryan snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. “You shouldn’t either.”
Her anger flared, but she swallowed her retort. Deep down, she knew he was right—Damien’s safety came first.
At night, Amelia found herself double-checking locks and peering out the window, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Despite her lingering resentment toward Ryan, his vigilance gave her a measure of reassurance.
“You really think they’ll try something?” she asked one evening as Ryan sat in the living room, scrolling through security camera footage he’d installed.
Ryan didn’t look up. “They’ve already made threats. I’m not waiting for them to follow through.”
The weight of his words hung in the air, and for the first time in weeks, Amelia felt the full force of her fear.