Rabbit Hole (Romantic-Suspense)

Chapter 4: The letter

Chapter 4: The letter

Confused with utter disbelief at what I was reading, "what..." As luck would have it, is the only word that escaped from my mouth despite having tons of questions in mind.

This is so unbelievable. I told myself, yet I continued on reading the unexpected content of the email, this time it isn’t a poem but a letter.

Couldn’t keep up any longer. As the deeper I went into reading, the next thing I knew was that I doze off and woke up from the text messages my father sent me.

Telling me that he already has everything prepared for me at the condo which he was saying as an advance gift for my birthday just this morning is read ready for me to move into.

No matter how strange things had already gotten, I decided to just play along and shrug off everything he had done. Besides, there’s no use stressing about things more if he would just keeps on covering up what he did with nice things.

“Well, yes, this bribe—condo is a good thing. Looking at the brighter side, I might like it more there.” Yes, I can just look again for a job there. And as for that condo’s worth, I’ll just pay Albert back. After all, I’m not buying his ‘advanced birthday gift’ to be believable.

After that short nap, I could only think of these possibilities—either there’s something he’s hiding from me or something he is getting me away from—Ugh, I don’t know. I may just be overthinking things that can be just as it is.

Quitting on making further questions by myself as I can’t get any definite answers alone, I stood up and went out of my room to at least find dad but unfortunately from that point on until now that I’m here at the condo unit he told me to move, I did not see him even his shadow—

Present time 11:30 am at XXXXX Twin Towers (Unit XXX)

"Ugh! Finally! Done! Hey, Mae! Thank you so much for coming! I wouldn't be able to finish everything this early if you didn't arrive." I said, celebrating, thankful to my best friend who came to help.

“No worries, but how dare those jerks didn’t even helped you move?” Mae exclaimed, complaining on the fact that I move the same things my father’s men moved when they ransacked my apartment.

“It’s fine, besides, I’d rather move these things alone than gather unnecessary attention from my neighbors. Imagine one day seeing tons of men in black suits moving in and out of my unit, they’ll think I’m some kind of gangster and avoid me.” I said, explaining the most possible thing that could happen. Then we both laugh and sigh the moment we imagine if it happened.

“Well, you’re right, those men who work for Mr. Gomez definitely looks like some thugs in decent suits.” Mae said, sitting down on the couch, and when she realized it, she looked bewildered and looked at me.

“Hey, all the things that we unpacked were just clothes—you didn’t bring in any new furniture—wait a d*mn minute, is this what Mr. Gomez means when he says everything’s ready? He bought this condo and all the furniture here and everything?” Mae asks, realizing what my father meant.

“Apparently, yes, I only brought my whole closet and other appliances with me, so I don’t really need help from moving these things, but thanks Mae! You’re a game changer. Thank you for helping me unpack. Moving isn’t the problem, but unpacking? Ugh you know I easily get distracted about what to do and where to put things.” Thanking her, I thought of ordering our food, so I took my phone out of my pocket to treat her. Sitting on the couch right beside her, she looks at what I’m doing on my phone and says—

“Dummy, I have known you for forever and I knew you unpacking would last more than a week and that’s why I came, okay.” Mae said, and quickly went on—

“But wait—he did all this after kicking you out of your previous apartment and your previous job? Wow, I hope my dad does that too. I totally feel like I’m about to die at my job—ugh.” Rolling her eyes over, and when she saw I was about to search for the nearest restaurant for food, she grabbed my phone away, stopping me.

"Girl, I told you I wouldn't be eating with you, right? I'm having lunch with my date! Just treat me next time, alright? Ciao~" Giggling, she smiled ear to ear and stood right up as she excitedly walked out towards the main door.

"Aw! But—" In an attempt to let her stay just for a moment, she cut me off and hurriedly walked her way.

"No, buts! I shouldn't miss my date! See yah~" she said, completely leaving me alone inside my unit.

"Ugh, it must be nice dating someone, huh?" groaning, I decided to go ahead and order just my food for lunch—but, then… I felt an intense feeling of uneasiness, as if… I missed something—then, just when I thought of it.

I looked at my phone, “11:13 am…” I mumbled to myself, refreshing my phone if it just missed dove’s email. I should have received it by now, or could it be that that letter yesterday was true?

Still suspicious of that letter, I checked my email's inbox, but it is as clear as the day that I did not receive any email from that person that day.

So, this is how it ends, huh?

I thought to myself, feeling a little down and anxious because of that letter. I’m sad because it is indeed true that the poem yesterday was the last poem I will ever receive from him or her, but I’m anxious because of the rest of that letter.

“Nah, it can’t be true.” I said, convincing myself that the last letter could have been a prank.

But, will Mae also think the same after reading that letter—what am I thinking? No one knows except me that dove exists—that someone sent me poems for four years.

I don’t know why I kept him a secret, but I didn’t do it intentionally. I just thought that he was someone irrelevant, so I thought that there was no need for him to be known.

Especially if there wasn’t any type of conversation we had.

However, now that he stops sending me poems, it does not make me any more relieved. If I remember it correctly, his poems were never a bother to begin with. In fact, his poems added my reasons to be more productive for checking my phone at exactly 11:11 with a received email, being sure it makes me anticipate something every day in those four years.

But now that it stopped with that letter yesterday, for the first time, I feel anxious and it becomes heavier the longer I stare at it on my inbox.

“Alright,” I said, deciding to open and read the letter again.

-Hi Alice,

Time flies so fast, huh? I’m writing this letter not to flutter you anymore but to warn you and I apologize if I couldn’t do this sooner, but I have reasons. I wrote this message exactly four years ago from now. If you made it this far and have not blocked me yet, thank you. But, I'm probably dead or just hiding away from him now. Either way, don’t look for me because I’m not hiding from a person but from you and even if you search and find me you will just, find yourself lost again and again.

And, I’m keeping it. This is because I have reasons that I can't just tell you. In doing so, I decided to send poems with codes hidden in them. If you still have all my entries in your inbox, I suggest you collect them from the very start to this very last entry. By now, you have probably reached twenty-one years old. Since you're an official adult now, I congratulate you, that is if you ever have reached this age without encountering him yet. -

"Whoa, reading it again still sends me creeps. Who the heck are you? Sending poems for the past years, and now you're telling me—there’s a ‘him’ you’re hiding from? If you're serious, why didn't you just tell me who was 'him' you're pertaining to? Really, you think you'd fool me? Ugh, I should've just blocked you before." I said, regretting not blocking him when I still had the chance before he stresses me like stressed—I still can, but it just doesn't sit right with me anymore after reading his last message, especially when I already deleted almost everything in my inbox.

"Not just that, this person must have known me, he even knows my age!—this is stalking, I knew it! Someone must be tricking me this whole time! Whoever this person is must be laughing behind my back thinking he or she'd fool me!" I said as my blood boiled at the thought of someone laughing at me from behind—then, I stopped.

Wait…but who could it be? It's not like everyone knows this email address I created when I was 17 years old…in fact, I created this email just for mere entertainment only—for apps I wanted to access—getting the creeps. I decided to get serious and continue rereading as I didn't get to process everything yesterday in bed.

“I congratulate you, that is if ever you have reached this age without encountering him yet—“ Rereading the last sentence before the next paragraph I couldn’t help but wonder who’s the person dove is talking about.

What’s this person going to do if I met him?

-That means you still have time… I'm sorry, I know I have been selfish not saying anything directly at all, despite knowing what would probably happen. But, I promise you that I will help you get out of his grasp. However, I want you to know that everything isn't solely my fault for not letting you know what's about to happen. -

"Huh? I wish he could at least have told me in full detail, how did I get into someone's nerves?" I said, thinking of whose grasp this person is pertaining to.

-For it was you, you, who let him live. Now, brace yourself for you're about to know that not everyone is worth saving. -

There, I gave up re-reading the entire content, for creeps just get stronger.

"I let him live—who?" Getting nervous all of a sudden, I just laughed it off—when, unexpectedly, my doorbell rings that surprised the hell out of me.

Abruptly, looking back to the door, hearing the continuous loud bells, I looked at my phone and gulped.

Hey… I haven't even ordered any food yet…

Who?...

Then, a line from the letter suddenly felt like it whispered in my mind— I congratulate you, that is if you ever have reached this age without encountering him yet.