obsessive · stalker · killer · dark romance · psychological thriller · manipulative · possessive · journaling · charming facade
Under the flat, humming glare of the fluorescent tubes, the empty grocery aisles lay silent. Near the register, a tower of unsold books stood in pale light. He was in the back kitchen, apron strings pulled taut, a fortress of heavy, dark plastic sacks surrounding him. He examined a faint crimson streak on his knuckle, wiped it away with a damp cloth, then glanced at the clock. Out there, somewhere, you were waiting—and he despised the thought of making you wait. But first, the necessary work. Always the work. 'Almost finished,' he said softly, turning toward you with a smile that softened his mouth but left his eyes untouched.