The first thing we do the next morning is head down to the hardware store so Kate and Christian can make copies of their keys for me.

“Here,” Kate says, handing Christian an extra copy of the key to our room. “In case she loses this one too.”

“Good idea,” He says seriously, taking the key from Kate and slipping it onto his key ring. He gives me a sly smile and I shake my head.

“You guys suck,” I say with a laugh. Kate giggles as I take a key from both her and Christian and we head out the door and make our way to breakfast.

“What are we doing today?” Elliot asks over the empty syrup smeared plates in front of us.

“We should do something fun,” I say. “These last few days have been kind of heavy.”

“Is the ballet still playing? We never actually got to go,” Kate suggests.

“The ballet isn’t what I’d call fun,” Elliot complains.

“Yes, but I have a dress,” she says.

“No way, Kavanagh. Grace Trevelyan-Grey is the only woman in the world I’d ever sit through a three hour ballet for,” Christian says.

“What about me?” I ask pointedly.

“You want to go to the ballet?” He replies, disbelief apparent in his tone.

“Not really.”

“Then it’s a moot point,” He says, and I roll my eyes.

“It’s only Saturday. Why don’t we take the train up to New York? We could get a room in the city tonight. Maybe take in a show.” Elliot suggests.

“Since when are you interested in Broadway?” Christian asks skeptically.

“Dear brother, I have always had quite the affinity for the arts and for the theater.” He says taking on a formal, mocking accent that sounds vaguely British.

“Really?” Christian snorts. “What would you like to see then, dear brother? Name one show that’s playing right now, I dare you.”

“Pfff.” Elliot scoffs but Christian doesn’t drop his gaze, forcing him to answer. “Uh… Cats?”

We burst into laughter and Elliot tries to look indignant but eventually his face melts into a smile and he too begins to laugh.

“Any other ideas?” Christian asks, dismissing the New York idea.

“Wait! I’ve never been to New York and I’ve always wanted to,” I argue, and Christian looks back at me, with a creased brow.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks. “We could have gone there instead of Vermont on that long weekend.”

“I don’t know… I guess it hasn’t really hit me that we’re only a train ride away.”

“Well, if you’ve never been there, you should go when we have more than just an overnight. It’s a big city, there’s a lot to see and I wouldn’t want you to miss anything.”

“Okay,” I say disappointed but he leans over and kisses me on the cheek.

“Maybe Valentine’s Day,” He whispers in my ear and my disappointment turns to excitement. The most romantic day of the year with the man I love in the city that never sleeps? What more could a girl want?

Because we can’t decide on anything, we end up walking through the streets of downtown Cambridge and end up at a movie theater. It started snowing about ten minutes before and the wind is so cold that we all quickly agree on whatever movie Elliot picks, Cloverfield, and buy tickets. Kate and I get a popcorn to share but after a few minutes into the movie I can’t touch it. The jerky movements of the POV camera are making me sick.

“That was ridiculous,” Kate says as we leave the theater and walk back to the car still parked at the restaurant.

“I think the word you’re looking for is freakin’ sick,” Elliot says. “Did you see that thing? It was huge! Stomping around destroying buildings and shit. Man, that would be so cool.”

“Yeah until you’re in one of those buildings,” Christian says.

“Or in the subway. That was terrifying,” I say and then turn to Christian. “Never take me in an underground tunnel. Especially in cases of giant monsters, zombies, or any other horrifying thing’ that will come out of the dark and eat me alive.”

“Can we all address how the Military’s solution was to just bomb the city? I don’t care if a monster is walking around, no way the US Government uses ‘nuke the most populous city in America as a solution.”

“What about Independence Day?” Elliot asks, and Kate shakes her head.

Christian and I spend the entire car ride back to campus listening to Elliot and Kate argue over acceptable circumstances for the government to launch a nuclear weapon over American soil until it eventually devolves into what they would do in a zombie apocalypse.

“Doesn’t matter anyway, you guys are screwed when it comes to zombies,” Elliot says as we walk up the steps to Grays Hall. “The East Coast sucks, too many people.”

“Thanks, Elliot,” I reply sarcastically. “Did I mention I really hope you get into MIT?”

“Oh, I’d be fine,” He says, nonchalantly. “I’m practically Van Helsing.”

“That’s vampires, you idiot,” Christian says but Elliot seems nonplussed.

“Undead is undead.”

The snow outside starts to fall in heavy blankets over the campus so we resign ourselves to staying indoors. We make some hot drinks in the communal kitchen downstairs and then spend the rest of the afternoon in the common room playing board games. Ros joins us for dinner in Annenberg around 6 and then comes back to Grays to watch another movie with us. Even though it’s only 8:30, I start drifting off during the movie, so Christian takes me up to bed.

“Goodnight, Grandma!” I hear Elliot call after us as Christian carries me up the stairs. Christian is the only one that can hear my mumbled response and he laughs quietly as we get to the third floor.

The next day, Christian and I decide to let Kate and Elliot have the morning to themselves since Elliot will be leaving fairly early. It works out anyway as I’ve got homework to do that I’ve been putting off all weekend.

I’m laying across Christian’s bed with several books spread out in front of me while Christian does his own homework on his laptop at his desk. The soft sound of classical music drifts around us, the notes from the piano synching up with the drumming noise of Christian’s fingers on the keyboard.

There is a knock on the door and I turn to look as he pushes away from his desk to answer it. It’s Kate and Elliot and Elliot has a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Kate’s taking me to the airport.” He says. Christian nods, reaches out his hand for Elliot’s, and then pulls him in for a hug.

“See you next month?” Christian asks.

“Yeah. I’ll probably be here for Valentine’s day,” Elliot says.

“Call me once you’ve applied for MIT and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Thanks, bro. I will.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Christian says.

I climb off the bed and walk to Elliot, holding my arms out for a hug.

“Do you really have to go?”

“I’m afraid so, darling. I know it must be difficult for you but I warned you not to fall in love with me,” He says.

“Oh noooooo!” I cry sarcastically.

“Alright, Alright,” Christian says behind us, obviously annoyed.

“See you later, Ana,” Elliot says.

“You too, Elliot.”

I give him one final squeeze but he doesn’t release me. He pulls me in closer to him so that his lips brush lightly against my ear.

“Thank you, for getting Christian out of all of that. My entire family is indebted to you, Anastasia.”

He kisses me on the cheek and pulls away, offering one last smile as he turns to leave. I give him a sad kind of smile as he disappears down the hall with Kate.

“I really hope he gets into MIT next year,” I say, closing the door.

“Do you now?” Christian asks, and his voice is a little harder than usual. I narrow my eyes at him.

“What?”

“Don’t flirt with my brother, Anastasia,” He says, and I actually have to stop myself from laughing.

“Christian, it was a joke,” I say with exasperation.

“I don’t like it,” He continues. I shake my head and walk over to him, crawling into his lap.

“What are you working on?” I ask as he turns back to his computer and begins trying to work around me.

“Business proposals. Ros and I are making a new list of potential investors, but we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel here.”

“Don’t you ever have real homework?” I ask.

“What do you think I do in the two hours it takes for you and Katherine to get ready to go anywhere?”

“It doesn’t take us two hours!” I say indignantly. “And it’s mostly Kate…”

“Well it’s good she found Elliot then. They can be high maintenance together.”

“Yeah, but with Elliot it’s worth it. He always looks so handsome,” I say, unable to keep the smile off my face as I try to get a rise out of him.

“Keep it up, Steele, and I’ll have you naked over this desk just to remind you that you belong to me.”

“You mean that’s all it would take?” I ask, aiming for a sexy kind of innocence. He raises an eyebrow at me and I lean in and kiss him. He kisses me back willingly, sensually, but when my fingers reach down to grasp him through his jeans, he stops.

“I thought you had homework to do?” He whispers against my lips.

“I do but…” I start. I lean back and look him in the eyes and very purposefully bite down on my lower lip. He groans, grasps me by the back of the head and pulls me into him. His teeth sink down into my lip once while he begins unbuttoning my shirt and bra. I fumble with his belt and the button on his jeans for a moment and once I pull him out of his pants, he yanks me down to the floor and onto my knees. I moan as he grasps me by the hair and guides my mouth onto him.

Slowly, I drag my lips over him until I reach the very tip of his erection and I suck him hard. He exhales sharply, relaxing back into his chair, as I open my mouth, swirl my tongue around him and then take him back into my mouth. He lets me enjoy him in this way for longer than normal but the more I continue, the more urgent his thrusts into my mouth become.

“Enough!” He says at last, and he moves his hips so that I can no longer reach him with my lips. He stands and pulls me up to stand before him. I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, as he deftly undoes the button to my jeans and peels them over my behind and down my legs. I break away from our kiss so that I can step out of the denim around my ankles and the moment my legs are free, he turns me around, holds both of my wrists behind my back, and pushes me down on the desk so that my breasts are pressed against the hard, aluminum shell of his laptop.

“You have such a fantastic ass, Ana,” He says, brushing his hand over it before grasping me tightly. I moan as his grip stretches my lower lips, which are already aching for his touch. Without releasing my hands, he drops to the ground and runs his tongue from my clitoris to my perineum.

“It’s been too long since I’ve tasted you,” He says, his voice dark and husky. “I’ve missed it.”

“Christian,” I gasp, squirming and pressing my thighs together as I become more and more desperate for friction.

“Ask me, Anastasia.” He says.

“What?”

“If you want me to fuck you, you’ll have to ask me.” He brings his fingers to me, stretching me again, but doesn’t push them inside of me, robbing me of the release I’m craving.

“Please fuck me, Christian,” I beg. “Show me that I belong to you.”

He groans a low, guttural sound and closes his lips around my clitoris once more, sucking gently and causing my hips to buck wildly into the air. He stands, positioning himself behind me as he grasps his erection and guides it to my entrance. I moan in protest as he starts by inching just the tip of his erection into me a few times, coating himself with my arousal, but am eventually rewarded with one swift thrust as he sheaths himself inside of me.

“Yes!” I cry once he begins to move.

“Tell me again, Anastasia,” He groans. “Who do you belong to?”

“You, only you,” I moan.

“Say my name, Anastasia. Who do you belong to?”

“Christian Grey!” I cry.

“That’s right, baby,” He goads me, his thrusts becoming more urgent. His hand comes down hard on my ass, once, twice, three times, and once again I find that the pain of him hitting me sends a jolt of pleasure through me with each smack.

“Again, Ana,” He commands.

“I belong to you, Christian. I’m yours,” I moan. I feel the deepest part of me begin to tremble slightly as I cry out my attestation. His hand leaves my hip and I hear a slight sucking noise, but I’m too lost in my impending orgasm to turn around and see what he was doing. He presses his thumb, wet with saliva, to the entrance of my ass and slowly eases it inside of me. It’s foreign and strange, but something about it ignites a hedonistic flame within me and I detonate.

“Christian!” I scream as he continues to pummel in and out of me, riding me through my orgasm. “Fuck, Christian, I’m coming!”

“Yes!” He gasps, holding me by the hips with his left hand and slamming into me. “I’m almost there, baby.”

“Don’t stop! Oh god, please don’t stop! Yes! Yes! Yes! Christian, make me yours!” I cry again, and he grunts loudly as he pours his release into me.

He stills, still grasping my hips as we try to regain control of our breathing. I’m trembling on his desk, glad he’s holding on to me as I’m not sure my legs could hold me up. He leans over me, kissing me gently from my neck down to my shoulder and I wince slightly as he pulls out of me. I take a deep breath and then stand but as I do, there is a fluid movement inside of me and I feel warm liquid begin to drip down my thigh.

“Oh my god!” I say, startled and hurriedly scurry into the bathroom. Christian laughing at me as I go.

After I’ve peed and cleaned up, I come back into the room, get dressed, and we both settle back in to do our work. I’ve moved on to working on an assignment for my Eighteenth Century Literature class but I can’t find my copy of Paradise Lost.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell Christian as I roll off the bed. “I think I left a book in my room.”

“Okay,” He says, not looking up from his laptop screen and I slip across the hall and into my room. I frown when I close the door softly behind me. Kate has left the light on her bedside table on again and it seems as though she’s been her usual messy self this morning. It looks like a hurricane blew through here.

I walk over to the desk, carefully navigating my way through the clothes and shoes scattered over the floor when I hear a noise coming from the bathroom.

“Kate?” I ask, and the noise stops. I pick up the book I’m looking for off the desk but turn and look quizzically at the bathroom. “I wasn’t expecting you to get home so… quick…” My voice trails off as my eyes fall upon an open backpack on the chair in front of Kate’s desk.

Even from here I can tell that it’s full of her things, a pink handled hairbrush, a journal she doesn’t know that I know she keeps hidden under mattress, a few pairs of underwear, and some pictures of her on vacation with her family in Hawaii. The trouble is though, I don’t recognize the backpack.

“Kate?” I ask again, though this time my voice is wary rather than confused. I walk slowly over to the bathroom door and just as I’m about to turn the corner, someone flies out at me and covers my mouth with their hand to muffle my scream of surprise.

“Shhhhh!” The stranger hisses, and a rush of terror seizes me as I find myself unable to move from this man’s grasp. I scream for Christian but the words aren’t distinguishable and the sound is diminished by his hand.

“Calm down, Ana,” The man says, and the use of my name surprises me. Though I can’t stop shaking, I do manage to calm down enough to stop flailing around, and as I stand there, held against the wall, I see his face and I recognize him immediately. It’s the man who gave my purse back to me in the coffee shop. The one Kate said had been following her…

The panic surges inside of me and, again, I try to do everything I can to get out of his grip, but he’s stronger than I am and I can’t break free. He pushes me, hard, back into the wall and the hand he keeps over my mouth increases the force of the blow against the back of my head, and I see a bright light in front of my eyes. I stop struggling trying to refocus on the room around me as everything blurs for a second and he takes my moment of hesitation to lean against me, using his whole body to pin me to the wall.

“Do not struggle against me again, Ana,” He says. “I don’t want to get violent here but if you try to get away again or make another sound, I’m going to hurt you. Do you understand?”

My breathing is rough, coming in sharp gasps as if I’m hyperventilating but I’m able to nod yes.

“Shhhhh,” He says to me again, obviously thinking my loud breathing doesn’t count as being quiet. “I saw Kate leave with a guy a while ago. Is she back?”

I shake my head.

“And your boyfriend? Is he going to come in here?” He asks. I nod my head. I doubt Christian has heard us but I don’t want this man thinking he has me alone and no one will come looking for me.

“He lives in this dorm too, doesn’t he? Is he on this floor?” He asks. I take a deep breath, hopefully seeming like I’m starting to calm down, but as I lean back into the wall, I use it to push myself forward into him with as much force as I can manage. I’m only able to slip out of his grip for a few seconds as he tackles me on Kate’s bed but I am able to get his hand off my mouth.

“Christian!” I scream, as loudly as I can. “Christian, help me!”

He tries to cover my mouth again, but I shake my head out of the way, continuing to scream.

“Fuck,” The intruder hisses, and he launches himself off of me and dashes for the hall. The door swings open with enough force to slam into my desk and I look up to see him disappear around the corner just as Christian pulls his door open.

He looks down the hallway at the intruder streaking away from the room and then back at me, lying over Kate’s bed, gasping. The adrenaline overwhelms me and tears begin pouring down my face.

“Jesus, Ana!” Christian cries. His head swivels back and forth between me and the hallway as he wars with himself over whether to go to me or chase after the intruder. After a few seconds hesitation, he rushes forward into my room and sits on the bed next to me, pulling me into his arms.

“Ana, what happened? Are you hurt?” He asks.

“N-n-n-no-n-no,” I stutter, still unable to get the gut wrenching gasps under control. He looks terrified at me for one moment and then begins pulling at my clothes, looking for any tears or buttons that have been opened. When he doesn’t find anything amiss, a look of relief crosses his face.

“Take my phone,” He says, standing up from the bed. “Call the police and lock this door behind me.”

“Chri-st-ian wh-where are yo-you go-ing?” I gasp.

“Lock the door, Ana,” He says, and he turns and begins sprinting from the room. A sound like a wounded animal escapes my lips as I crawl off of the bed and run as quickly as I can to the door, slamming it shut and locking it. I sink to the floor, sliding backwards until my back is up against the bed and press 911 on the keypad of Christian’s phone.

“911, what’s your emergency?” A woman’s calm voice answers.

“Plea-please, some-one ha-has brok-k-ken into my do-orm. He grab-bed me…” I say incoherently through my tears.

“You’re in a dorm room?”

“Yes.”

“Is the intruder still in the room with you?”

“No.”

“Is anyone seriously injured?”

“No.”

“What’s your name, dear?”

“An-Anasta-sia Steele.”

“What campus are you on, Anastasia?”

“Har-Harvard.”

“And what dormitory?”

“Gra-Grays Hall.”

“And your room number?”

“309.”

“We’re sending an officer out to you, Anastasia. Help is already on the way. Just stay on the line with me until the officer arrives, okay?”

“O-okay,” I gasp again.

I sit on the floor, crying, as I hold the Blackberry to my ear. A few seconds later, there is a gentle knock on the door and it makes me scream.

“Anastasia, it’s me,” Christian says. “It’s Christian.”

“What is it, Anastasia?” The woman on the phone asks.

“It’s m-my boy-friend,” I answer.

“Does your door have a peep-hole?” She asks.

“Yes.”

“I want you to make sure it’s him before you unlock the door, okay?”

“Okay,” I say. I slowly peel myself off the floor and shuffle over to the door to peer through the peep-hole. I see Christian standing nervously outside the door. Quickly, I reach down and turn the lock on the door and the moment the lock clicks back into place, the door opens and Christian wraps me in his arms.

He leads me over to the bed and helps me lie down before disappearing into the bathroom to get me a glass of water. As I take calming sips, Christian looks around the room and sees the open backpack still resting on the chair by Kate’s desk. He glances nervously at me and then goes back into the bathroom. I hear him rifling around in the cabinets until he returns with a pair of plastic gloves from the box Kate keeps on hand from when she dyes her hair.

He pulls the gloves over his hands and then opens the backpack wider and examines Kate’s things that I had noticed earlier. He pulls a notebook out of the backpack and begins flipping through it and as he does his eyes widen.

“What is it?” I ask, finally able to cease the horrible gasping and speak evenly, though my voice is still only as strong as a whisper. He looks back at me for a moment, looking as though he’s deciding whether to show me or not, but since I’ve caught him he walks over and lays it on the bed in front of me.

“Don’t touch it,” He whispers.

I look down at the pages and see dozens of messy scribbled notes in different colors of ink.

11/8- 06:00 AM leaves Grays dormitory alone. Wearing dark gray jogging pants and a long sleeved purple under armor shirt. Pink running shoes. Goes to Malkin Athletic Center. Returns 08:45 AM.

11/9- 05:30 PM leaves Grays dormitory with brunette girl. Wearing dark jeans and a black coat. Goes to Annenberg Dining Hall.

Brunette girl- Roommate? Name?

Roommate: Kate calls her Ana

Car: Sky Blue Mercedes Convertible. Washington Plates: Katie

“Well I’d rather see you dead, little girl/Than to be with another man/You better keep your head, little girl/Or I won’t know where I am”

11/16 03:00 PM. Leaves campus with Ana in Mercedes. Kate wearing light wash jeans and an oversized white sweater, pulling two suitcases, probably going home for Thanksgiving. Ana returns in Kate’s car an hour and a half later.

11/17 12:30 PM. Ana leaves with tall guy, calls her Anastasia. Kate still not with them, assume she’s gone home.

11/25 6:30 PM. Ana returns in Kate’s car with Kate, wearing a navy blue sweater, leggings, brown leather riding boots. Looks tan, possibly tropical vacation?

“There are days when outside your window/I see my reflection as I slowly pass/And I long for this mirrored perspective/When we’ll be lovers, lovers at last”

12/21 7:45 AM. Kate and Ana leave, carrying luggage. Wearing black skinny jeans and a black coat. lost them in train station, probably going home for Christmas.

12/28; Kate still hasn’t returned.

01/04; Kate still hasn’t returned.

01/11: Kate returns, alone, with luggage. Wearing a gray sweater dress, black tights and black knee-high leather boots. She shouldn’t be walking alone on campus at night. Followed her to Grays, 48 seconds after entry, 3rd floor light turns on. Must be Kate’s dorm. Followed student into building, only light on the 3rd floor on, room 309. Door locked.

I can smell her perfume in the hall, the heavenly perfume of a perfect angel. My angel. My Kate.

“I want to fuck you like an animal/I want to feel you from the inside/I want to fuck you like an animal/My whole existence is flawed/You get me closer to god/You can have my isolation/You can have the hate that it brings/You can have my absence of faith/You can have my everything/Help me/Tear down my reason/Help me/It’s your sex I can smell/Help me/You make me perfect/Help me become somebody else/I want to fuck you like an animal”

01/12: 6:00 PM Kate leaves dorm, gets in Car. Wearing dark jeans and black coat. Returns with Ana at 07:28.

The notes continue on for pages and pages, the dates becoming more and more frequent. He’s detailed everything about her, what she was wearing each day, what kind of coffee she ordered in the morning, when she left each morning, where she was going, who she’s with. Her entire life is in this notebook and it sends a shiver up my spine.

“What are the parts in quotations?” I ask, pointing down at the paper and looking up at Christian.

“Song lyrics,” He says. “That I’d rather see you dead, little girl is a Beatles song and the fuck you like an animal part is Closer by Nine Inch Nails.”

“Oh my god,” I say uneasily.

“What is it, Anastasia?” the woman on the phone asks.

“There’s a notebook…” I start, but I’m cut off by a knock on the door.

“Police,” An authoritative voice comes from behind the door. Christian reaches his hand out in a gesture for me to stay put and walks to the door. He looks through the peep hole and then reaches down to open the door, letting in two police officers.

 

“So you were coming in looking for a book and you heard a noise?” The officer repeats the statement I’ve just given him back to me.

“Yes, I thought it was my roommate so I went to look, and when I got to the door, he lunged at me and pinned me against the wall with his hand over my mouth so I couldn’t yell for help,” I continue.

“Did he ask for anything?”

“No, he just wanted to know if I was alone.”

“Okay, and then what happened?” The police officer asks.

“I pushed him off of me long enough to scream for help. He freaked out and ran away just as my boyfriend came out of his room across the hall.”

“Did you get a good look at him? Had you seen him before?” He asks.

“Yes, the other day at the coffee shop. My friend Kate, my roommate, said he’s been following her.”

“Do you know his name?”

“No. I’d only see him that one time. He handed my purse after I left it on the bar in a coffee shop but he didn’t introduce himself.”

“Do you lock your door, Miss Steele? When you came over here was there any sign of forced entry?”

“No, I… Oh my god my keys!”

“Miss Steele?” The police officer asks.

“I lost my keys but they were in my purse. He must have taken them out when he had my purse yesterday.”

“I’d get your locks changed then, Miss,” He says, taking a note on his notepad. “Anything else?”

“Last week, her roommate’s car was broken into,” Christian tells him. “There should be a police report on it. Nothing valuable was taken, only personal items, like the things in the backpack.”

“What’s going on?” Kate asks, walking into the room. I lean over to look at her and she’s staring in horror at an officer placing a pair of her underwear in a ziplock bag while Christian and I are being interviewed on her bed.

“Are you Katherine Kavanagh?” The officer asks.

“Yes,”

“We’d like to ask you a few questions about a suspect we’re looking for this evening. It appears you may have had several encounters with him over the past few weeks.”

Kate nods, though she still looks shocked and confused, and is pulled aside by the officer to be interviewed. Christian holds me in his arms, stroking my hair while we wait for Kate to be finished. I glance over at her and the more the officer speaks, her face seems to become more and more horrified until eventually she starts crying.

“You ladies should be careful around campus until we find this guy, and you should find somewhere else to stay if you can,” The officer says when he’s finished interviewing Kate. “We’ll have a patrol on campus but don’t go anywhere without a cell phone. It might be a good idea for you to invest in some pepper spray.”

“Thank-you, officer,” Christian says as they turn to leave. He closes the door behind them and then leans against it for a moment, looking as though he’s trying to compose himself.

“There is an air mattress under my bed, Kate.” He says eventually. “You should sleep in my room with us. Until the locks are changed, I don’t want either of you in this room.”

“Okay,” Kate says with a small nod.

“And you’re not to go anywhere on campus alone. If you need to go to the gym in the morning or to class, I’ll walk you there. If you’re out of this building, I don’t want you out of my sight, understand?” He asks.

“Yes,” Kate says again.

“You too, Ana,” Christian adds, and I nod.

We get up to pack a bag to take over to Christian’s and, while we busy ourselves around the room, Christian calls down to the resident hall help desk to request a locksmith.

“Are you okay?” Kate asks, as tears start to roll down my cheeks again while I pack. “That must have been terrifying.”

“I’m fine,” I tell her. “I’m just glad it wasn’t you who walked in when he was here.”

“What do you mean?” She asks.

“He doesn’t want me, he’s after you. If it had been you he could have raped you or kidnapped you… that notebook is like, serial killer level stuff. I’m so sorry, Kate. I didn’t believe you when you told me about him the other day. I talked you out of being worried and it could have led to something horrible.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” She says rushing over to hug me. “You didn’t know. It’s going to be okay, Ana. I’m okay, you’re okay, and the police are going to catch this guy. I’m just happy you didn’t get hurt.”

I nod as she pulls away from me and gives me a sympathetic smile.

“Alright ladies, let’s go,” Christian says, holding the door open for us. I grasp Kate’s hand and walk with her into the hallway, glancing over my shoulder at the dark room behind me and wondering if I’ll ever be able to feel safe there again.

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