Prologue

For weeks, I had been tracking her every move, engraving her daily routines into my memory. From the moment she woke up in the morning to her work and school schedule, I was there, a silent observer, unnoticed and unseen.

A ghost in the night.

I knew every detail of her life, from how she preferred tea over coffee to the sound of her laughter, the shade of her lip gloss, her shoe size, and even her favorite color.

Red like blood.

How fitting.

But her relationship with Donnie invaded my thoughts seven days a week, day and night, like a nightmare.

I watched them in the shadows. And it pissed me off to see them together, laughing, kissing, and touching each other. And the more I watched them together, the darker my thoughts and desires became.

My lips turned into a wicked smile as I thought of ways to make her suffer.

Pressing the cold metal barrel against her skin.

Slitting her throat or putting a knife to her heart.

Or I could always cut out the baby that he put in her.

Whatever I decide to do, I want to be the last person she sees just when she takes last breath. The last breath I'll take from her as I rip her soul from her body.

So here I am, in the stillness of the night, trailing her as she makes her way home. I think she knows someone is following her, but at this point, I don"t give a shit.

My car windows are darkly tinted, rendering me invisible to her. I have maintained a safe distance while keeping her within my line of sight.

She steps out of the vehicle, shuts the door behind her, and takes a few steps to the back of the car, where her daughter is still seated.

I pull out of my spot and slowly drive up closer, positioning the car just a few feet away from her.

It"s risky, but the adrenaline of seeing fear bleed out of her pumps through my veins.

Once her daughter is in her arms, she shuts the door with her hip.

But she stills.

She knows she"s being watched.

I smiled so widely that my eyes nearly pinched shut.

When she slowly raises her head above the hood, an electric sensation of anticipation shoots up my back, and her gaze is firmly fixed on me.

It"s time to make my move.

It"s time to take what is rightfully mine.