BLEACHED

112: A Stalker

Unknown
This is Lavender, right?

Lavender furrows her brows as she stares at the screen the moment Domen reappears in the livingroom, pulling and pushing on the surprisingly still functioning vacuum cleaner.

Even though the place had gone untouched for years, the dust isn't too thick to choke on the air. Luckily that is.

Lavender crosses her legs and taps onto the number, unsure if she should answer or not as the unknown messenger sends another message.

Unknown
I know it is.

"Domen, someone's texting me, I don't know who it is and I'm getting kind of scared." Lavender gets up and walks up to Domen who glances down at her, simply admiring her radiant beauty since the pregnancy, then to her phone.

Domen takes the phone from her as he scans the number, trying hard to recall whom it could be.

Having memorized his grandmother's number, just in case, he knows too well it isn't anyone he knows personally.

Instead of handing it back to her, he shoved his phone into his pocket and lets go of the vacuum cleaner as he leans down and kisses her forehead.

"Don't worry about it, I'll just hold onto your phone for now. The doctor called and advised me to keep you away from all that's happening as much as possible." He smiles slightly as she frowns and glances down to the pocket he just shoves her phone in. "Go take a bath, I'll join you once I'm done here."

Lavender only sighs and nods slightly when she knows his calm voice simply means he's not giving it back to her.

I guess it's better I don't involve myself.

She turns from him and walks towards the corridor she thinks would lead to the bathroom, disappearing from his sight.

Domen's smile drops in an instant and he turns the vacuum cleaner off before walking out of the room and heading to the front door.

He retrieves her phone out from his pocket and taps against the number, calling it.

Knowing too well whomever has her number is more likely to track her down.

Something he doesn't want to happen.

Not now.

The phone picks up and the other end doesn't say a word, getting Domen to clench his teeth when he can hear soft breathing on the other end, a clear sign whomever is there is listening.

Waiting.

"Domen, I can guess, Lavender wouldn't be brave enough to call."

The voice says and Domen furrows his brows as he glances off to the woods, at nothing in particular.

But he says nothing as he's unable to recognize the voice. It's no one he's met. The voice is of a woman, yet it's raspy and dry, desperate too.

As though trying to sound intimidating.

"I guess it really is. Domen, honestly, you deserve better than that, that woman is completely under you. Trash, a worm beneath the rotting soil, you deserve someone better-"

Domen cuts it immediately and sighs as he turns back into the house, knowing too well it's probably just one of the many ants of people against his relationship with Lavender.

He's seen the posts, the comments.

It's only been literal hours since the release and his so called 'fans' have have been against it. Not all of them, but the few that have worshiped Evette and his relationship as though it was their daily fuel.

He hated them.

He'd have gotten rid of them all of he was given the chance.

Not that it was wrong, but he only hated the ones that had the audacity to degrade Lavender to literal nothing.

If Lavender saw these posts. I don't know what she'd do.

He sighs once more, only to notice the phone buzzing again.

How did they get her number?

Domen clenches his jaw as he places the phone to his ear, only to hear the other woman laugh.

"Aw come on, Domen. You really are better than that. That woman is worthless. I simply won't allow it!"

"How did you get this number?" Domen finally asks as he grips the phone tightly. "Get rid of it."

"I'm being an honest fan and trying to get rid of her for you. She's only with you for the money, she's pregnant to trap you, how can you not see that!? All your fans see it and you're being ignorant! You're smarter than that! That's why I dedicate my life to you!"

"I don't need you, never had. Get rid of the number, I never want to hear that voice of yours again."

Domen took the phone from his ear and reaches down to cut the call when the woman on the other end suddenly chuckles menacingly.

"Your stupid grandmother might be useless since she didn't get rid of that imperfection brother of yours years ago, but I won't let you down. You have a perfect life ahead of you and she's your blockage, I'll get rid of it for you, I promise, and you'll thank me once your life with Evette is fixed again! You must be thinking, 'why is woman so desperate, does she love me?' the answer is yes, Domen, I love you so much I want you to live the perfect life with the perfect woman, no... I'm not in love with you, I'm obsessed!-"

Domen cuts the call as his blood runs cold in an instant when it clicks in his head. Somehow he can recall who'd behave that way.

It's not one he's ever spoken to, but he knows just who it might be

Obsession...

A person so obsessed with making someone's life a living dream... Though not wanting to be with them.

Hasn't he see her comment a few times?

On repeat.

The very top comment that pops up whenever Evette posts a photo of them both sharing a kiss or just posing for the camera.

The user that seems to have dedicated their entire life viewing his page, even before his engagement to Evette was finalized.

A user who's stalked him from the moment he went to college.

He didn't know her name, or anything personally related to her expect for a photo of her hand that she took holding onto the hood of one of his cars that she bought.

Clenching his jaw, he turns the phone off completely and walks into the kitchen where he opens the tap and places the phone underneath the running water, letting it swim in it's enemy.

Stalkers can't be real... And to this extreme?

Must've been just a simple uproar. Not like there's anything this insane. It doesn't make any logical sense.

Why the fvck would someone be so invested in other people's lives to the point it's an obsession?

Domen's eyes barely fix onto the phone that's now deep into the water that there's clearly no hope in rescuing it.

It might have not been the best call to drown Lavender's phone without her permission, but he's well aware blocking the number wouldn't do any good.

That woman would end up using another number.

So how many numbers would he have to block to keep Lavender from knowing a fan of his wants to replicate his grandmother beliefs?

The Investigator should be able to get rid of her.

And all this will be under the water. Lavender doesn't have to know.