Chapter 4: No Way Out

If the red line was just a coincidence, the fact that he knew about her sleeping-in-soil habit convinced me this guy was for real. My mind raced, searching every memory for something I might have said. But nothing fit. He knew too much. My skin prickled with fear.

His warning about getting ready to die made me panic. My mouth went dry. My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped my phone. The air in the apartment felt thin.

On a whim, I added him as a friend. I hovered, then tapped. He accepted immediately—like he’d been waiting.

“Looks like you believe me now?”

His message was calm, almost smug. I hesitated, then answered: “I do! Sir, please save me!” My message was half-joke, mostly desperate.

“…Did you misunderstand? I was just warning you to get ready to die. I never planned to save you. Messing with fate is trouble.”

His reply landed like a punch. I stared at it, lost for words.

“How much do you want?” I blurted it out. In America, everything’s got a price. Maybe this was a scam.

“It’s not about money. When you did those heartless things, you should have expected this day.”

His words jolted me. I scrolled back, searching for some clue. Nothing. A cold weight settled in my gut.

“What did I do? From the day I met and fell in love with my wife, I never wronged her. How am I heartless?”

He replied: “Secrets always have a way of crawling out.”

It felt like a threat, or a riddle. I shivered, staring at that blank, ancient yin-yang.

I begged, pleaded—offering money, promises, anything. Each message went unanswered. My hands shook so badly I had to set the phone down.

“At least tell me what happened so I can die knowing! Just tell me how much you want, I’ll give you everything!”

Still no response. My panic soared.

The silence was worse than any threat. I could hear my wife shifting in the next room, her breath even. I felt like a deer trapped in headlights.

With her sleeping nearby, I felt suffocated. I tiptoed back, grabbed my charger and wallet. The urge to run was overwhelming. I fumbled for my shoes, half-expecting her to appear behind me.

But just as I touched the door handle—my phone lit up:

“If I were you, I wouldn’t leave tonight.”