Chapter 3

Peering through the peephole, I spotted neighbors sneaking glances into the hallway, all curious about the noise.

The ruckus at 305 had the whole floor buzzing.

I didn't pay them any mind.

Back in the living room, I made myself a cup of coffee.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from the property manager.

[Ms. Harvey, all the equipment has been removed and left at your door. How would you like us to handle it?]

I replied: [Just treat it as scrap and sell it. Give the money to the workers for some drinks.]

The manager replied okay.

I tossed my phone aside, cradled my cup of coffee, and curled up on the couch.

For the first time in two years, I finally felt relaxed.

I no longer have to stress over someone else's plants, rush to air out their apartment, or worry about their safety or problems.

That was good.

At eight o'clock that night, Franklin and Katherine came back.

Their voices were so loud, and I could hear them clear as day through the door.

Katherine was the one screaming.

"Oh my god! Who took off the lock? The camera's gone too."

Franklin totally lost it, yelling in anger.

"Leila! It has to be her.

"That crazy woman."

Then, my door was getting pounded, loud enough to shake the whole hallway.

Franklin yelled, "Leila, get out here! What gives you the right to take off my lock?

"You're deliberately destroying my property. I'm calling the cops."

I put on my headphones and cranked the music up to max volume.

The yelling outside faded into a distant, muffled background noise.

After about half an hour of all that noise, the hallway finally went quiet.

I figured either someone called the cops or the property management stepped in.

It didn't matter to me.

I bought the security camera and installed the smart lock.

I have every receipt and installation record to back it up.

It was mine, fair and square.

If I wanted it gone, I'd take it down.

Nobody had a say in it.

It was late at night, and I was sleeping deeply.

Out of nowhere, my phone on the nightstand went wild, buzzing like crazy.

The vibrations were so intense. It slipped right off the nightstand and hit the floor with a loud thud.

I woke up suddenly, rubbing my eyes as I grabbed my phone.

The screen lit up the darkness, almost too bright to look at.

It was covered in missed call notifications.

All was from Franklin.

I unlocked the screen and glanced at it.

There were 99 missed calls.

The last one was just a minute ago.

I raised an eyebrow.

I wondered if someone broke in again in the middle of the night.

I yawned, didn't hesitate for a second, and hit the power button.

At last, there was peace and quiet.

I rolled over, pulled the covers up, and went right back to sleep.

The next morning, my alarm woke me up.

I opened my eyes; the room was flooded with sunlight.

I slept soundly, without a single dream.

I stretched, feeling like my bones had gotten a whole lot lighter.

I grabbed my phone off the floor and powered it back up.

The screen lit up as messages flooded in instantly—WhatsApp chats, texts, and missed calls piling up one after another.

I opened WhatsApp.

Franklin's avatar was flashing with a glaring red "99+".

I tapped in, and the whole screen was nothing but his voice messages.

The first ones were just him ranting and demanding to know why.

"Leila, you're crazy.

"What gives you the right to tear down my property?

"You just wait. I'm not done with you!"

Then, Franklin's messages started sounding more anxious.

"Leila, answer the phone.

"Something happened. Pick up, quick!"

By the end, he was literally begging.

"Leila, I'm begging you, pick up the phone.

"Okay, I messed up. I'm sorry.

"It's urgent. Please, call me back!"

Stone-faced, I scrolled right past all those voice messages.

I didn't tap on a single one.

His voice was even more unbearable than his texts.

I blocked him and deleted his contact without a second thought.

Everything went quite.

I opened my texts, which were all from Franklin, just more of the same as on WhatsApp.

The cycle from threats to pleading repeated perfectly.

I deleted and blocked him on my phone as well.

After all that, I finally got up at my own pace, washed up, and changed.

I fried myself two eggs and heated up a glass of milk.

Sitting at the dining table, I finally enjoyed a peaceful breakfast, something I hadn't had in two years.

After breakfast, I got myself together and got ready to head out for work.

I grabbed my bag, and just as I opened the door, Franklin and Katherine were standing right outside, blocking my way.

They both looked like they hadn't slept a wink.

There were heavy, dark circles under their eyes.

Their hair was a mess, and their clothes were wrinkled and disheveled.

Katherine's face was streaked with tears, her makeup smeared and ruined from crying.