Chapter 2
Now I was certain—he really didn't know anything about the knife.
Not a trace of killer vibe in him, just straight-up freaked out.
Just then, my phone started buzzing like crazy.
It was that number again.
I picked up, and "my future self" was on the line, her voice frantic and panicked.
"Don't let him touch that knife!
"Get him to drop it! Now, get him to drop it!"
Her voice was so panicked it broke into a shriek—I'd never heard fear like that before.
At her words, I froze, my mind racing.
Wait, she was fine with me grabbing the knife, but freaked out when Ethan touched it?
I watched Ethan scrambling to deal with his cut, his face twisted in pain.
He ducked his head, muttering complaints about the hotel.
Suddenly, I stopped dead in my tracks.
At the edge of his collar, on the back of his neck, I spotted a tiny, fresh needle mark.
It was red, with a little smear of blood still clinging to it.
My mind went totally blank.
All the warmth just drained out of my body in an instant.
The voice on the phone was full of biting mockery.
"What a moron! You really think he's harmless? Didn't you notice that fresh needle mark on his neck? Someone injected him!"
A chill ran down my spine.
How did she know I saw the needle mark?
Wait. This voice, this so-called "future me"—she could actually see everything that was happening in this room?
Fear grabbed hold of me.
I felt trapped, like a puppet in a cage with her pulling all the strings—there was no way out.
"He's been taken over by his accomplice! He's not himself right now, and he could go off any minute! Why are you still standing there? Get out of there!" the voice urged.
"Honey, I need to head out front and greet the guests. You should rest a bit longer," Ethan said, coming over after tending to his wound.
He'd changed into fresh clothes and straightened his tie, looking a little nervous.
"Are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?" he asked, concern in his eyes.
"I..." I hesitated.
"He's off to meet his accomplice!
"They're figuring out how to deal with your corpse! They're gonna slice you up and send you down the drain!" the voice screamed through the phone, her voice dripping with malice.
Her words sent a chill down my spine.
Ethan saw how pale I was and thought I couldn't bear to see him go.
So, he leaned in. His cheeks turned red as he bent down and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead.
"I love you," he whispered, his voice low and tender.
After Ethan whispered it, he got all flustered, scratching his head like a nervous teenager.
"I... I'll come back to be with you real soon," he mumbled, sounding shy and awkward.
He kept turning back to look at me every few steps as he dashed out the door.
I watched him go, my emotions churning like a storm inside.
On one side, there was Ethan—gentle, shy, the kind of guy who'd turn bright red just to say "I love you."
On the other side, that demonic whisper—vicious, always watching, cursing me from the shadows.
The needle mark was real.
Ethan really was that shy.
I had to get to the bottom of this.
Determined, I quietly followed him out.
The hallway was covered in thick carpet, so I crept quietly, barely making a sound.
Ethan stopped at the corner, facing his best man and younger brother, Ryan Locke.
"Ethan, what's up with you? You still can't memorize your speech. Dad's about to blow a fuse," Ryan complained, clearly annoyed.
"I... I'm just nervous," Ethan stammered, sounding all flustered.
"Nervous about what? You're marrying your childhood sweetheart! You've known her forever, man. What's there to be nervous about?" Ryan shot back.
Ryan jabbed him in the arm, sounding totally annoyed.
"Look at you, your hands are still shaking! You just spilled soup everywhere—how are you gonna handle the toasts later?" Ryan teased.
"I'm just... scared I'll screw up, and she... and her parents won't approve," Ethan mumbled.
"Enough already, just get out there and deal with it. Dad looks like he's about to explode," Ryan said, giving him a shove toward the door.
I finally breathed a sigh of relief—so much for the whole "accomplice" theory.
It turned out Ethan was just a nervous groom with a bad case of pre-wedding jitters.
Suddenly, my phone went off—the voice was screaming on the other end.
"Get back now! Don't you dare follow him!"
Suddenly, everything went black, and a wave of dizziness washed over me.
The ceiling spun out of control above my head.
The hallway lights started flickering like crazy, flashing between blinding bright and total darkness, making my eyes ache.
My stomach churned, and I felt so sick I was about to hurl.
"Ah!" I stumbled, clutching the wall for support.
"What's wrong?" Ethan called out when he saw me, rushing over in a panic.
He held me up, his face tense with worry.
"You look really pale. Is it your blood sugar again? Come on, let me get you back to the room," he said, sounding super concerned.
"Don't stay with him! Get out of the hotel, now!" The phone suddenly blasted out a screeching static, stabbing at my eardrums and making my head pound.
The dizziness slammed into me, and I nearly dropped to my knees.
But as soon as Ethan pulled me into his arms, his warmth washed over me, calming me down.
The dizziness that felt like it was ripping me apart just melted away, almost like magic.
The pain faded away.
I clung to him, trying to catch my breath.
That voice totally freaked out whenever I got close to Ethan.
Whenever Ethan was near, I felt this strange sense of safety—like nothing bad could happen to me.
I grabbed onto Ethan's shirt, holding on like he was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
"Ethan, I'm so dizzy... Can you walk me back to our room?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
"Of course, let's go right now. I'm so sorry, I never should've left you alone," he said, guilt written all over his face.
I pretended to be weak, clinging to him like I could barely stand.
Inwardly, I made up my mind.
Tonight, I wasn't letting Ethan out of my sight for even a moment.
I wanted to see for myself where the limits of this so-called "punishment" really were.