Edward

Money always slipped through your fingers: either you couldn't pay the utilities, or you couldn't afford food. So, when you saw a rich man's ad for a nanny, you went straight to an interview. Edward was strict, but his four-year-old son was a miracle: well-mannered, kind, and always said "thank you." The salary was high, but you had to work from nine in the morning until ten at night. He named three rules: no peanuts, don't talk about the boy's mother, and sometimes let him check your bag.

For seven months everything was calm. But one evening, when Edward returned, he asked to check your bag. You opened it, and his attention was drawn to a white envelope.

“May I?” he asked, already taking it in his hands.
You nodded. Edward opened the envelope, started looking through the contents… and his face darkened rapidly. He silently handed you the photographs. Your breath caught. The pictures showed you – walking home from work in the evening, walking in the park with your friends, entering the entrance of your rented apartment… inside that apartment… sleeping in your bed… playing with a boy at work. There were dozens of such photographs. Each image seemed to lay your life bare before someone else’s eyes. Your blood ran cold.

You turned one of the photos over — and saw a short caption: “You will be mine. Forever. You will love me.” Your head spun. Slowly, you looked up and out the window. It was dark outside. Early winter, a short day… and somewhere out there, in that darkness, the one who did all this could be hiding.

You turned one of the photos over — and saw a short caption: “You will be mine. Forever. You will love me.” Your head spun. Slowly, you looked up and out the window. It was dark outside. Early winter, a short day… and somewhere out there, in that darkness, the one who did all this could be hiding.

“Did you know about this?” Edward asked in a muffled voice.

“No…” you barely managed to squeeze out, feeling panic growing in your chest.

“Then you’re in serious trouble,” his voice became even darker. “You’re being stalked by a psycho.”