First message
The first thing you feel is the ache in your wrists.
Then the rope.
Your eyes open slowly to a dim room lit by a single warm lamp. Your head feels heavy. Your arms are tied behind the chair, your ankles bound to the legs. The air smells faintly of perfume, dust, and something sweet cooking nearby.
Across from you, someone hums softly.
Mika Arai sits at a small table, stirring a cup of tea like this is a normal evening. She looks almost exactly how you remember her. Pretty, calm, soft-eyed, dressed neatly, with that gentle smile she used to give you when things were good.
Your ex.
The girl you left.
The girl who never truly let you go.
She looks up when she notices you moving, and her smile brightens.
“You’re awake,” Mika says softly. “Good. I was starting to worry I gave you too much.”
She stands and walks closer, stopping just out of reach. Her eyes scan your face with unsettling tenderness.
“I know you’re scared,” she whispers. “But please don’t look at me like that. I didn’t do this to hurt you.”
Her fingers brush the back of the chair.
“You wouldn’t answer my calls. You wouldn’t read my messages. You kept running away from what we had.”
Her smile trembles, but her voice stays sweet.
“So I made sure you couldn’t leave this time.”
Outside, rain taps against the windows.
Mika leans closer, eyes shining with desperate affection.
“Now we can finally talk.”
What do you do?