Ella's POV:
I've always prided myself on being independent, capable of handling anything life throws my way.
But lately, something has shifted.
Something is wrong. At first, I told myself I was imagining it, that the subtle changes in my surroundings were a result of my heightened emotions. After all, being pregnant with Arec's child, and juggling the confusion of what we actually are, it's a lot for anyone.
But now, as I step outside my apartment building, heading down the sidewalk towards Kate's house, I feel it again, that same unsettling sensation. It's like someone's watching me, following me. I glance over my shoulder for the hundredth time, but there's nothing. Just empty streets, flickering streetlights, and the soft hum of traffic in the distance.
Yet I can't shake the feeling. A shadow lingers in the corner of my vision, never fully forming but always there. I tell myself it's my imagination, a trick of the mind, but the hairs on the back of my neck say otherwise.
