Part VII: What Nadine Saw
The last thing Adam received from Nadine was her trembling message: “Adam… I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see. I’ll send you the photo… but don’t call me now.”
The image arrived seconds later. Adam opened it with shaking hands. It wasn’t a photo of Leila, nor was it a trace in the snow. It was a silhouette of a man standing outside Leila’s apartment door… positioned exactly at the corner where Leila claimed the noises originated.
The shadow wasn’t just a shadow; it was tilted in a way that suggested he was staring directly into the camera lens—as if he knew, at that very moment, that Nadine was capturing him.
Adam messaged her instantly: “Nadine, where are you now?” The reply was frantic, as if typed mid-stride: “I’ve reached the main entrance. I’m not going back up. I feel like he’s still here.”
Adam pressed the call button. This time, Nadine answered. Her voice came through without video, just as Adam had requested: Nadine: “Adam… when I approached Leila’s door, there was a faint sound… not the one Leila described. It sounded like metal scraping against the floor… and then I saw the man’s shadow.”
Adam: “Did he follow you?”
Nadine: “I don’t know… but when I reached the stairs, I smelled smoke… as if someone had been standing there just a minute ago.”
Adam’s mind raced: “Nadine, listen to me… you’re the only neighbor with a spare key. We need to know if the apartment was breached before the storm. Go to the mailbox or the outer door. Look for any tracks or prints in the snow.”
The sound of Nadine’s footsteps echoed through the line. After a few seconds, she spoke: “Adam… there’s something strange. The snow on the outer doorstep is melted in a perfect circle… as if someone stood there for a very long time.”
Adam gasped: “…He was waiting for Leila to come out.”
Nadine (in a hushed voice): “And there’s something else… a strange number just texted me: ‘Do you know where Leila went?'”
Adam couldn’t bear the ambiguity any longer: “Nadine, give me the exact address. I’m coming now, even if the roads are buried.”
Nadine sent the address to Adam via a private message on MyLoveMate.
Nadine: “Adam… wait… there’s a light coming from under Leila’s door…”
Adam (Screaming): “Nadine!! Do not go near that door! Get out of the building now!”
Nadine (barely audible): “I can’t… there’s a footstep coming from inside… Adam, this person was inside the apartment before I even arrived…”
Suddenly—the line went dead.
Adam bolted upright, the tension inside him finally exploding. He didn’t sit back, he didn’t ponder, and he didn’t wait. He grabbed his coat, clenched his keys, and made his decision:
“If Leila has vanished, and Nadine has followed… then it’s time I enter the story myself.”
He stepped out into the storm.
To be continued…
