![\"\"](%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/08%5C/image-12-1024x512-1-678x381-1.jpg%5C%22 "\\"\\"")
\n\nAnne wanders into the secret room | Source: Midjourney\n
A few days later, while unpacking boxes in the attic, I noticed a draft coming from behind an old armoire. Moving it aside, I discovered a hidden door. Dusty and seemingly untouched for years, it beckoned me with the thrill of a secret.\n
I texted Michael about my discovery, expecting him to share my excitement. Instead, his response was alarming: \u201cDon\u2019t open it, Anna. Please, just leave it alone.\u201d His curt tone and lack of usual warmth were troubling.\n
Confused and increasingly intrigued, I asked why. His reply was evasive: \u201cIt\u2019s just old junk. Nothing interesting. We can look at it together later. Please, just leave it for now.\u201d His short, detached messages only fueled my determination to uncover the mystery.\n
Ignoring my rising anxiety, I decided to investigate. I texted Michael back, \u201cOkay, we\u2019ll check it out together.\u201d But my curiosity was too strong to wait.\n
As I stood before the hidden door, my heart raced. The handle was cold and rusted. Despite Michael\u2019s warnings echoing in my mind, I couldn\u2019t resist. I turned the handle and pushed the door open.\n
The room was dim, lit only by a small, grimy window. Dust motes floated in the scant light. The space was cluttered with boxes, some neatly stacked, others scattered as if hastily abandoned.\n
Approaching the nearest box, I lifted the lid with trembling hands. Inside were piles of photographs\u2014of me. Photos from various stages of my life: at cafes, parks, and shopping. I was shocked and horrified. Michael had been watching me long before we met.\n
![\"Found](%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/cdn.amomama.com%5C/8a6d8964bec4d28991a6b0ef297a725d7fa764e1e27dd8550b7f4309aba5a6cb.png%5C%22 "\\"\\"")
\n
Further inspection revealed notebooks filled with details about my daily routines, preferences, friends, and places I frequented. It was a meticulous record of my life before I even knew Michael. Among the items, I found an old T-shirt I had donated years ago, now sitting in a box in Michael\u2019s secret room.\n
The sound of the front door closing snapped me back to reality. Michael was home. I quickly put the items back into the box and stepped out of the hidden room, my mind racing with betrayal and fear.\n
Michael found me in the hallway, his face pale. \u201cAnna, I can explain,\u201d he began, but I interrupted, holding up a photo. \u201cHow long, Michael? How long have you been stalking me?\u201d\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not what you think,\u201d he pleaded. \u201cI just needed to know you better. I loved you from the moment I saw you.\u201d\n
\u201cLoved me?\u201d I cried. \u201cYou spied on me, invaded my privacy before even talking to me! This isn\u2019t love; it\u2019s obsession.\u201d\n
\u201cI was going to tell you,\u201d he said, reaching out. \u201cI was just scared of losing you.\u201d\n
I recoiled. \u201cYou never knew me. You knew a version of me you created in your head. I can\u2019t trust you. I don\u2019t even know you.\u201d\n
The confrontation left us both shaken. Michael\u2019s face crumpled as he realized the severity of his actions. For me, the decision was clear. I couldn\u2019t stay with someone who had watched me from the shadows.\n
As I packed my bags, each item I folded was a reminder of what could have been. The sweater Michael gave me on our first Christmas, the photo album from our last vacation\u2014all now tainted by his betrayal.\n
With a heavy heart, I zipped up my suitcase and took one last look around the house. It felt like walking through a dream that had turned into a nightmare. The house was quiet, the only sound was my suitcase wheels clicking as I walked away.\n
Outside, the air felt fresh, and the sky seemed clearer. Leaving wasn\u2019t just about escaping a house\u2014it was about stepping towards a future that was honest. I was choosing myself, and it felt right.\n
Was leaving the only choice I had, or did I overreact? What would you have done in my place?\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I walked into Michael\u2019s house, the fading sunlight cast a warm glow on the wooden floors. \u201cWelcome home, Anna!\u201d Michael greeted me with a beaming smile, his joy mirrored by my own excitement about starting our new life together. Michael\u2019s house, an old but charming property, was adorned with ivy-covered brick walls and antique …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":76770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76766"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76773,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76766\/revisions\/76773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}