Gemotions

Sarah kept her eyes glued to the security camera feed on her phone. Across the living room, Liam was cheerfully assembling a cat tree. She'd told him, pleaded with him, that this wasn’t a good idea. He just smiled that infuriatingly charming smile.

The air in the apartment felt thick, suffocating. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of the leaves outside the window, sent a jolt of anxiety through her. She flinched as Liam hammered a nail, the sound echoing in her ears. He was building a sanctuary, a haven for… it.

She’d started locking her bedroom door at night. Tonight, she'd sleep with a knife under her pillow, just in case. She needed to make sure she was safe. “What time will it be here?” she asked, her voice cracking.