Chapter 2: The Message I Wasn’t Supposed to Read
Marcus stared at the message for almost a full minute.
The screen stayed bright in his hand.
The words didn’t change.
“Marcus, before you get too attached to Naomi, you need to know who she really is.””
No name.
No explanation.
Just a warning.
And somehow, that made it worse.
He leaned back on his couch, staring at the ceiling.
A normal person would have ignored it.
A stranger sending a mysterious message about someone he had just met should have been an easy thing to dismiss.
But Marcus had learned something over the years.
People rarely interrupted your life unless they wanted something.
He looked back at the phone.
The unknown number was still there.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Then he typed.
“Who is this?””
The message showed as delivered.
No response.
Marcus waited.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Nothing.
He tossed the phone onto the table.
“Great,” he muttered.
“One mysterious message and now I’m supposed to play detective.””
But he knew himself.
He was already curious.
That was the problem.
Naomi had spent less than an hour in his life, and somehow she had already done something no one else could.
She made him question things.
The next morning, Marcus walked into his office with coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.
His assistant, Tasha, immediately noticed his expression.
“You look confused,” she said.
“I’m thinking.””
“That’s usually what people say when they’re confused.””
Marcus smiled.
“You always this honest?””
“Only with people who pay me to organize their chaos.””
He laughed and placed his coffee down.
“You ever meet someone and feel like there’s something you don’t know?””
Tasha looked at him.
“About a person?””
“Yeah.””
“Are we talking about business or a woman?””
Marcus paused.
That pause answered everything.
Tasha smiled.
“Oh, this is interesting.””
“It’s not interesting.””
“You’re asking me about a woman before nine in the morning. That’s very interesting.””
Marcus shook his head.
“Her name is Naomi.””
“And?””
“She’s different.””
Tasha leaned against the desk.
“Different how?””
Marcus thought about it.
“She doesn’t try to impress anyone.””
“That bothers you?””
“No.””
“Then why are you worried?””
Because someone had warned him.
Because a stranger had made him suspicious.
Because for the first time in a long time, he actually cared what the truth was.
“I got a weird message about her.””
Tasha’s smile disappeared.
“What kind of message?””
Marcus showed her the screen.
She read it carefully.
Then she handed the phone back.
“Do you know who sent it?””
“No.””
“Did you ask?””
“Yeah. No answer.””
Tasha looked thoughtful.
“Maybe it’s nothing.””
“Maybe.””
“But?””
Marcus looked at the message again.
“But people don’t usually say things like that for no reason.””
Later that afternoon, Marcus found himself doing something he hadn’t planned.
He searched Naomi’s name online.
At first, nothing appeared.
Then he found a social media account.
Private.
A profile picture.
Naomi smiling in front of a sunset.
No dramatic captions.
No endless selfies.
Just a quiet page.
He scrolled through what little information he could see.
She worked in event management.
She volunteered at a community center.
She had pictures with friends, family, and places she had visited.
Nothing suspicious.
Nothing that matched the warning.
Marcus felt almost embarrassed.
Maybe he had overreacted.
Maybe some random person was just trying to cause problems.
Then he saw a comment.
A recent comment under one of her photos.
A man had written:
“Still pretending you’re innocent?””
Marcus froze.
The comment had been deleted.
But someone had replied before it disappeared.
“Leave her alone.””
That reply was also gone.
Marcus stared at the screen.
His curiosity became heavier.
Not because he found something.
Because he almost found something.
That evening, Marcus decided to call Naomi again.
This time, she answered.
“Hello?””
Her voice sounded calm.
Almost like she wasn’t surprised.
“Hey.””
“Hey, Marcus.””
He smiled.
“You remembered my name.””
“You gave me your whole speech about calling. I assumed I should know who was calling.””
He laughed.
“Fair.””
There was a comfortable silence.
Not awkward.
Just unfamiliar.
“So,” Naomi said.
“Did you call to check if I answered?””
“Maybe.””
“I knew it.””
“You did?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“Because you seem like someone who likes being right.””
Marcus smiled.
“And are you saying I’m wrong?””
“Sometimes.””
“Sometimes?””
“Everyone is.””
He liked how she never rushed to make him feel special.
She treated him like a person.
Not a prize.
“How was your day?”” he asked.
“Busy.””
“Good busy or bad busy?””
“Both.””
“That sounds complicated.””
“It usually is.””
He noticed something.
Her voice changed whenever she talked about herself.
Like she carefully measured every word.
“So, Naomi,” he said, “can I ask you something?””
“That depends.””
“On what?””
“On whether you’re asking because you’re curious or because you’re trying to investigate me.””
Marcus went quiet.
Only for a second.
But she noticed.
“I knew it,” she said.
“Knew what?””
“You have a question.””
Marcus looked away.
He didn’t like how easily she read him.
“Someone sent me a strange message.””
Silence.
Real silence.
The kind where someone stops breathing for a moment.
“About me?””
“Yes.””
“What did they say?””
Marcus hesitated.
Then he told her.
The entire thing.
When he finished, Naomi didn’t immediately answer.
Finally, she spoke.
“Did they tell you who they were?””
“No.””
“Did they show proof?””
“No.””
“Then why are you listening to them?””
Marcus leaned back.
“Because they sounded serious.””
Naomi laughed quietly.
Not because it was funny.
Because she was disappointed.
“Marcus.””
“Yeah?””
“You just met me.””
“I know.””
“You don’t know my favorite food. You don’t know what scares me. You don’t know what I’ve been through.””
“I know.””
“And you’re already letting someone else tell you who I am?””
Her words hit harder than he expected.
Because she wasn’t angry.
She sounded hurt.
“I’m not accusing you of anything,” Marcus said.
“I know.””
“Then why does it feel like I did?””
Naomi didn’t answer.
For a few seconds, all he heard was silence.
Then she said something that changed the conversation.
“Because this has happened before.””
Marcus sat up.
“What has?””
“Someone finding something from my past and deciding they already know everything.””
“What happened?””
Another pause.
“Not over the phone.””
Marcus frowned.
“Why?””
“Because if I tell you, I want to see your face when you hear it.””
That answer stayed with him.
They agreed to meet the next day.
A small café near the park.
No pressure.
No expectations.
Just a conversation.
But when Marcus arrived, he immediately noticed Naomi wasn’t alone.
She was sitting at a table near the window.
Across from her was a man.
Older.
Well-dressed.
Angry.
Marcus slowed down before walking closer.
He couldn’t hear everything.
Only pieces.
“You promised me you were done,” the man said.
Naomi’s face hardened.
“I am done.””
“Then why is he here?””
Marcus stopped.
The man turned.
And the moment he saw Marcus standing there, his expression changed.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
Like he already knew exactly who Marcus was.
Naomi stood up quickly.
“Marcus, wait.””
But the man looked directly at him.
And said the one thing Marcus never expected to hear.
“You’re the new guy, aren’t you?””
Marcus looked at Naomi.
Then back at the stranger.
“How do you know me?””
The man smiled slightly.
Because he wasn’t looking at Marcus like a stranger.
He was looking at him like someone who had been waiting.
May you like
And then he reached into his jacket, pulled out an old photograph, and placed it on the table.
“Because I know exactly what Naomi did to the last man who trusted her.””
