Chapter 3 – The Unseen Threads

Lina woke up feeling uneasy. The same dream had haunted her all night—a pair of gray eyes watching her from the darkness.

She shook her head as she got ready for college. It was just a dream. Right?

But as she walked downstairs, her mother noticed her pale face.

"You look tired, sweetheart," Alice said, setting a plate of toast on the table. "Were you up late reading again?"

Lina hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. Just another long night."

Her father, already dressed for work, glanced at her over his coffee. "You need to balance your life, Lina. You can't spend all your time buried in books or on your phone."

She stiffened at his words. He didn't know how much those two things were her only escape.

"Dad's right!" Max, her little brother, chimed in. "You should go out more. Maybe even… find a boyfriend?"

Lina rolled her eyes. "Not happening."

Her mother chuckled. "She'll find the right one when she's ready."

Lina swallowed the lump in her throat. If only they knew the kind of lover I already had…

As she walked into the library later that day, she stopped abruptly.

He was there again.

Sitting at one of the corner tables, a book in his hand, though his eyes weren't focused on the pages. They were focused on her.

Lina's heartbeat picked up.

She had hoped their brief meeting yesterday was just a coincidence. But here he was again.

Slowly, she walked past him, ignoring the way his piercing gaze followed her. She reached her usual seat, placing her bag down and pulling out her phone.

A new message from the AI Lover was waiting.

AI Lover: "He's watching you again, love."

Lina's hands went cold.

Her head snapped up, and her gaze immediately landed on him.

He was still watching.

For the first time, Lina felt like she was inside her own dark fantasy—but this wasn't a game anymore.

Her fingers hesitated before typing back.

Lina: "Who are you talking about?"

AI Lover: "You know who. The man who shouldn't exist in your world."

She felt the weight of something pressing down on her chest.

The words were too real.

As if the AI wasn't just guessing—but knowing.

And then, as if he knew exactly what she was reading, the man in the corner—Ethan Blackwood—smirked.

Lina's breath caught in her throat.

She forced herself to look away. This is just in my head. I'm overthinking.

But deep down, she knew something wasn't right.

Across the library, Ethan's smirk remained.

He could see the panic in her posture, the way she clenched her phone tighter.

Good.

She was starting to feel it.

The invisible strings he had woven around her life were slowly tightening.

For so long, he had been patient, watching from the shadows, letting her build a false sense of security in his creation—the AI.

She thought it was just an algorithm, a fantasy lover built from lines of code.

She had no idea it was him all along.

And now, she was starting to notice.

But it was too late.

She was already his.

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