However, she began to feel watched in her own home. No corner felt safe to her. The back hallway. Even the garden. As if something in the air had changed. Her chest would tighten without reason. Her steps would slow. She began double-locking the door without knowing why.
The unease was constant. She no longer slept soundly. Dreams blurred into waking hours. Every creak of the floorboards at night jolted her awake. Her own shadow startled her. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.