The Unraveling Control

Days turned into weeks, and Roy’s obsession with Hana became more consuming than he could have ever anticipated. What had once been a fascination had evolved into something far more sinister. Every moment not spent near her was a moment wasted. His thoughts, once filled with ambition and power in his first life, were now fixated on the quiet girl who unknowingly held his sanity in her delicate hands.

Hana, meanwhile, continued her life, blissfully unaware of the storm swirling just beneath the surface of Roy’s carefully crafted exterior. She was kind to him, polite during their encounters, but there was no indication that she felt anything more than distant friendliness toward him. And that infuriated him.

Roy had always been a man who got what he wanted. In his previous life, he had risen to power through sheer force of will, never taking no for an answer. But this was different. Hana wasn’t a business deal or an opponent to be outmaneuvered. She was a living, breathing person with her own thoughts, emotions, and worst of all her own free will. And that terrified Roy.

The jealousy he felt over her interactions with other people only worsened. He found himself seething every time he saw her laugh with her friends, or when she sat with that same man, Akira, from the café. Even though she had said they were just friends, Roy couldn’t bring himself to believe it. Why would she choose to spend time with someone else when he was right there, always waiting for her?

One evening, after another sleepless night haunted by thoughts of Hana, Roy made a decision one that would mark a turning point in his obsession. He needed to know more about her. Not just her habits and routines, which he had already memorized, but her deeper secrets the things she didn’t share with the world.

It was an unusually cold night, and the campus was quiet. Roy had followed Hana as she left the library, his heart pounding with anticipation. He had seen her walk home before, had memorized the route she took, but tonight he planned to follow her all the way. He needed to know where she lived, what her life looked like when she wasn’t surrounded by people.

He kept a safe distance, careful not to let her see him. The streetlights flickered above, casting long shadows across the pavement. Hana walked with her head down, seemingly lost in thought. Roy’s pulse quickened. There was something intimate about watching her like this, something that made him feel closer to her than he had ever been before.

After a short walk, Hana arrived at a small apartment building on the edge of campus. Roy watched from a distance as she entered the building, the door closing softly behind her. He stood there for several moments, his breath coming in shallow bursts. Now that he knew where she lived, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. This was another piece of her life that he could claim for himself.

But it wasn’t enough.

The days that followed became a blur for Roy. His obsession had fully taken over, pushing aside any remnants of rational thought. He began spending more time near Hana’s apartment, lurking in the shadows, watching her come and go. Each time he saw her, he felt a mixture of elation and despair. Elation because she was so close, and despair because she was still so far from truly being his.

One evening, as Roy stood outside her apartment building, hidden in the dark corner of the street, he saw something that made his blood run cold. Hana stepped out of the building, her usual soft smile on her face, and there beside her was Akira. The two of them laughed as they walked down the street together, their arms brushing against one another.

Roy’s hands clenched into fists, his heart pounding with fury. He had been patient, had bided his time, believing that Hana would eventually come to see him the way he saw her. But this this was a betrayal. How could she choose Akira, someone so unworthy, when Roy had been the one watching over her, protecting her from the shadows?

In that moment, something inside Roy snapped. The obsession that had been simmering beneath the surface erupted into a storm of possessiveness and rage. He couldn’t stand by any longer, couldn’t let Hana slip through his fingers. She belonged to him she always had, from the moment he was reborn.

The next day, Roy’s mind raced with dark thoughts. He needed to act, to take control of the situation before it spiraled even further out of his grasp. But how? Confronting her directly hadn’t worked Hana saw him as nothing more than a passing acquaintance. And if he tried to force his way into her life, she would only pull away.

Then, an idea began to form in his mind. It was risky, but Roy had never been afraid of taking risks. In his first life, he had built an empire by taking calculated risks, by using every resource at his disposal to get what he wanted. This would be no different.

That night, Roy waited outside Hana’s apartment again, but this time, he wasn’t just observing. He had a plan.

When Hana returned home, she seemed more tired than usual. She fumbled with her keys, and Roy, hidden in the shadows, felt a rush of anticipation. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched her unlock the door and step inside.

Silently, he approached the building, his movements careful and deliberate. He knew the layout of the building from his previous nights of watching. He knew where the back entrance was, and he knew how to slip inside unnoticed. He had done his research.

Once inside, Roy made his way to Hana’s apartment door. His hands trembled as he reached for the handle, but he forced himself to remain calm. He had come too far to back out now. This was it the moment where everything would change.

Using the small tool he had brought with him, Roy carefully picked the lock. It took longer than he expected, his nerves making his hands unsteady, but after several tense moments, the lock clicked open.

He slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind him.

The apartment was dark, save for the faint glow of a lamp in the living room. Ry stood there for a moment, his breath coming in shallow bursts as he took in the space around him. This was Hana’s world the place she came to after her long days, the place she felt safe. And now, he was inside it.

Roy’s heart pounded in his chest as he moved through the apartment, his footsteps silent on the floor. He could hear the faint sound of water running Hana was in the bathroom, probably getting ready for bed. He moved toward her bedroom, his mind racing with thoughts of what he would do next.

As he stepped inside the bedroom, his gaze fell on something that made his breath catch in his throat a framed photograph on her nightstand. It was a picture of Hana and Akira, smiling together, their arms around each other.

Roy’s vision blurred with anger. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Hana wasn’t supposed to be with Akira. She was supposed to be his.

The sound of the bathroom door opening snapped Roy out of his thoughts. He froze, his heart pounding in his ears. Hana stepped into the hallway, her footsteps light as she moved toward the bedroom.