"What about you? What's your name?"

The stranger seemed a little hesitant. After a while, he let out a soft sigh. "You'll find out very soon."

It was already late at night by the time the wires and my door were fixed.

I was both mentally and physically drained. My mind was a mess as I lay in bed.

I wondered if I should move somewhere else and if there were any good hiding places.

I spent half a year before succeeding in divorcing Arthur. Since then, he had been following and harassing me like an annoying leech.

I had reported Arthur to the authorities and gotten him taken into police custody for some time. Yet, Arthur only acted more brazenly after he was released. It was a nightmare.

As I closed my eyes, my phone vibrated. I reflexively sat up in bed. My heart dropped.

There was a sinister feeling as I stared at the phone, which seemed to vibrate ceaselessly.

After having repeatedly steeled myself, I slowly picked up the phone.

Although an unknown number was shown, I knew that it could only belong to a certain man. It was Arthur.

He always managed to get my latest contact details even after I had blocked his number and changed to a new number.

He sounded kind in his first few messages.

"Liv, I was wrong. Please come home with me. I can't live without you."

"The recent news about the serial killer has been making everyone feel scared and worried. I can't possibly feel at ease knowing that you're on your own out there."

"I promise that I won't do those things again if you agree to come home with me."

Yet, Arthur seemed to lose his patience as he sent more and more messages. Eventually, he did not even bother putting on an act.

"You slut, why haven't you replied to my messages?"

"Do you think someone else other than me will be willing to accept you?"

"Do you want to have a look at how slutty you are?"

After that final message, Arthur sent several photos and video screenshots. They were all photos of me.

The video screenshots were all perfectly timed to nearly show my private parts.

My hands were shaking, and my heartbeat quickened. Finally, I mustered the courage to start typing.

Yet, before I could send my reply, a new message popped up on my phone screen.

"Don't even think about calling the cops. I will make sure to upload these full, uncensored videos of you and show everyone how indecent you are before the cops manage to arrest me."

"I'll only be sentenced to a few years in prison. What about you? Your life will be completely ruined."

"I will also continue to torment you and make your life a living hell once I'm released from prison."

For a moment, I felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit. It was as though countless monstrous hands were trying to drag me down to hell.

Those videos were all taken without my knowledge. Some of the videos were even recorded after Arthur had drugged and coerced me…

"Should I call the police? How do I face others if those disgusting videos get out? That man's going to harass me even after he gets out of prison," I pondered.

Arthur's final message appeared on the screen.

"This is my final warning. I want to meet you on New Year's Eve."

I could not think of any better ways. It seemed the only plausible solution left was…

One of us must die.

…

It was mostly warm in Jerlanto since we were in a subtropical zone. Strangely, we were getting sleet showers on New Year's Eve.

The news of the serial killer was still making headlines. However, the people relaxed slightly despite the tense atmosphere in our city.

At 8:00 pm, people started lighting fireworks. I left my place at 10:00 pm.

Most people were celebrating the occasion with their family and friends during that hour. Yet, I had no one to meet or come home to.

I was left all alone in this world since I no longer had any family members around.

The icy wind cut right through my coat.

I pulled the collar tighter around my neck and clenched the handle of the dagger, hidden in my coat's pocket, firmly.

I was going to put an end to everything today.

Few cab drivers worked on New Year's Eve. A heavy silence lingered in the air as the driver and I did not engage in a conversation after I got into a cab.

I was not sure if it was because it was warm in the car or the calming effects of the diffuser's scent. Somehow, I dozed off at some point.

By the time I woke up, I could see that the car was driving on a dark road.

"Mister? I don't think this is the right way?"

It was too late when I finally realized something was off. I rammed my head into the back of the car seat as the driver slammed on the car brakes abruptly.

The driver got out of the car, opened the backseat door, and tried to pull me out of the car.

His rough hands gripped tightly around my ankle as he dragged me away.

I was powerless against him.

Fear gripped me. My shrill screams echoed through the quiet woods. In the distance, clusters of colorful fireworks went off in the night sky.

The man yanked my hair and pressed himself against me on the ground which was covered with sand and pebbles.

I was so overwhelmed with despair and horror that I completely forgot about crying and just kept screaming hysterically.

The sharp edge of a rock tore a nasty gash on my thigh. Blood poured from the wound.

"Please spare me! I'll do whatever you want. I beg of you! Don't kill me…"

The man did not stop. He tore my dress to shreds, exposing my naked body in no time.

Then, he slapped me forcefully on both sides of my face. My ears were ringing due to the impact. Blood oozed from the corner of my mouth.

I pulled out the dagger, which was meant for when I faced Arthur, in a panic. Yet, the man snatched the dagger away before I could even stab it at him.

The man appeared to be getting more and more excited. I could feel his warm, sticky breath against my neck.

"You carry a knife with you all the time? Interesting."

He pressed my right hand down firmly and stabbed the dagger through my palm. Then, he pulled the blade out.

As I felt a sharp pain in my hand, I shut my eyes in despair…

Oddly, a second hit did not follow as I had expected. Instead, I heard a dull thump.

When I opened my eyes, I saw my attacker getting hit on the back of his head. The man flew into a rage and got up to retaliate.

Judging by the other person's build, it seemed to be the neighbor who had helped me the other day.

I was in so much pain that it felt like every bone in my body was fractured. Moreover, I was so spent that I could not even muster the strength to search for my phone in my bag.

I could only pray over and over again that my neighbor would be able to defeat that man.

Eventually, my attacker fell heavily to the ground after receiving a forceful blow to his head.

My neighbor's face was splattered with blood. He swept his hair back and asked sternly, "Why did you have to go out at such a late hour? Did you know how worried I was when I thought about how you might die?"

I could not understand why my neighbor was showing so much concern for someone he had only met a few days ago.

Then, I froze the moment I saw his face.

With his fringe swept to one side, my neighbor looked very similar to someone I used to know.

It was Nathan Eastwood, the man who murdered my younger sister seven years ago.

I had run out of strength as blood kept pouring from my wounds.

I slowly shook my head and smiled wryly. "I've heard about your release from prison. You did that on purpose, huh?

"You've kept your identity hidden and pretended to be my neighbor because you're planning to kill me too? Why save me now, then?"

Tears streamed from my eyes. I felt empty and hollow inside.

"I know. You want to do it yourself."

I closed my eyes. "Go on. Kill me now."