Chapter 53 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PHOTO
Elias
Elias called Alex back at 9:45. Fifteen minutes later than promised.
“Hey, sorry. The session ran long and then I had to find somewhere quiet to call.”
Silence on the other end.
“Alex?”
“Where are you right now?”
Elias looked around the hotel lobby. “Hotel lobby. Why?”
“Not at a bar?”
His stomach dropped. “What? No. I’m at the hotel. What’s going on?”
“I got a photo. You and Rachel. At a bar. Timestamp says 9:15.”
“That’s impossible. I was in a panel discussion until 9:30. Then I came straight here.”
“The photo looks pretty real, Elias.”
“Send it to me.”
A moment later, the photo came through. Elias stared at it. His blood runs cold.
It was him. Or looked like him. Same shirt he’d worn today. Same hair. Sitting next to Rachel at what looked like a hotel bar.
But it wasn’t real. Couldn’t be real.
“This is photoshopped,” Elias said. “Alex, I swear. I haven’t been to any bar. I’ve been in sessions all day.”
“How do you know it’s fake?”
“Because I’m wearing the wrong watch. Look at my wrist in the photo.”
Alex was quiet. Probably zooming in.
“That’s a silver watch,” Elias continued. “I’m wearing my black one. The one you got me for my birthday. Look, I’ll send you a photo right now.”
He held up his wrist. Snapped a photo. Sent it.
“See? Black watch. At the same time. I’m at the hotel. Not a bar.”
“They photoshopped a watch?”
“They photoshopped the whole thing. Probably took an old photo from social media and edited it.”
Alex’s breathing was shaky on the other end. “I’m sorry. I should have known.”
“No. You should have asked. Which you did. And I’m telling you the truth.”
“I hate this. I hate that I can’t trust anything I see anymore.”
“I know. Me too.” Elias sat down on a lobby couch. “Want me to video call? Show you exactly where I am?”
“Yeah. Please.”
They switched to video. Elias panned the camera around the empty lobby. The front desk. The hallway to his room.
“See? Just me. Alone. Missing you.”
Alex’s face on the screen looked tired. Stressed. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“Don’t be. They’re getting better at this. More sophisticated.”
“What do we do?”
“We stick to the plan. I come home on Sunday. We filed the restraining orders. We move on.”
“Easier said than done.”
“I know. But Alex? Look at me.”
Alex met his eyes through the screen.
“I love you. Only you. There’s no one else. Not Rachel. Not anyone. You have to believe that.”
“I do. I’m just scared.”
“Me too. But we’re going to be okay.”
They talked for another hour. Elias showed him his hotel room. The boring conference materials. The absolutely nothing-exciting about his trip.
When they finally hung up, Elias sat on his bed. Exhausted.
His phone buzzed. Jordan.
Jordan: Someone’s been asking about you at the bar. Woman. Says she knows you. Thought you should know.
Elias: What woman?
Jordan: Didn’t get her name. But she was asking Rachel questions about you. Rachel told her to leave.
Elias: Where are you?
Jordan: Hotel bar. Came down for a drink. Want me to send her away if she comes back?
Elias: Please. And can you take a photo of her if you see her?
Jordan: On it.
Twenty minutes later, a photo came through. A woman at the bar. Young. Blonde. Pretty.
Ashley. Had to be.
Elias: That’s her. That’s Carter’s girlfriend. Don’t engage. I’m calling the police.
Elias called the detective handling their case. Explained everything. The fake photo. Ashley is at the same hotel. The harassment continues.
“We’ll issue the restraining order tomorrow morning,” the detective said. “Emergency filing. But Mr. Reed, you need to be careful. If she’s there, she might try something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. But document everything. Take photos. Record conversations if you can. Protect yourself.”
After hanging up, Elias called Rachel.
“Hey,” she answered. “Jordan told me what’s happening. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. But can you do me a favor? If that woman approaches you again, record it. I need proof she’s here stalking us.”
“Already on it. I got a video of her asking about you. Sent it to Jordan. He’ll forward it to you.”
“Thank you. And Rachel? I’m sorry you’re dragged into this.”
“Don’t be. This is insane. Your ex is unhinged.”
The video came through. Ashley is at the bar. Asking Rachel questions. “So you and Elias are close? He talks about you?” Rachel is shutting it down. “We’re coworkers. That’s it.” Ashley pushing. “Come on. Everyone knows you two have something going on.” Rachel is getting up. “You need to leave me alone.”
Elias sent everything to the detective. To Katie. To Alex.
Alex: She’s actually there. At your hotel.
Elias: I know. Police are filing an emergency restraining order tomorrow.
Alex: Come home. Please. This is too dangerous.
Elias: I can’t. If I leave, she wins. I have one more day. I can handle one more day.
Alex: What if she does something? What if she lies about you?
Elias: Then we deal with it. But I’m not running.
Alex: I’m scared.
Elias: Me too. But we’re going to get through this.
Elias didn’t sleep. Kept expecting someone to knock on his door. Kept checking his phone for new photos. New lies. New manipulation.
At 3 AM, his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A video this time.
He almost didn’t open it. But he had to know.
The video showed him. Walking through the hotel lobby. Entering the elevator. Timestamped tonight.
Someone was here. Following him. Recording him.
Unknown: Sleep well, Elias. Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.
Elias called hotel security. Showed them the video. They reviewed the lobby cameras.
“We see her,” the security guard said. “Checked in this afternoon. Same floor as you. We can move you to a different room if you want.”
“Yes. Please.”
They moved him to a room three floors up. Different hallway. But Elias still didn’t sleep.
At 7 AM, his phone rang. The detective.
“A restraining order is filed. She’s been served. Hotel security confirmed. She’s being escorted out of the building now.”
“What about the conference?”
“She’s banned from the hotel. If she comes back, she’ll be arrested.”
Relief flooded through him. “Thank you.”
“Be careful, Mr. Reed. People like this don’t give up easily.”
Elias went to the final day of panels. Exhausted. Paranoid. Checking over his shoulder constantly.
Rachel found him at lunch. “You okay?”
“Not really. But I will be.”
“For what it’s worth, I told everyone what’s happening. The whole office knows. If anyone asks about us, they’ll shut it down.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry you’re involved.”
“Stop apologizing. This isn’t your fault.”
The day dragged. Every session felt like hours. Elias just wanted to go home. To Alex. To safety.
At 6 PM, he caught his flight. Landed at 9. Alex was waiting at arrivals.
They didn’t speak. Just held each other in the middle of the airport. People walking around them. Neither caring.
“I’m sorry,” Elias said.
“For what?”
“For putting you through that. For everything.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I chose to go. I could have stayed.”
“And let them win? No. You did the right thing.”
In the car, Alex drove. Elias’s hand in his. Neither letting go.
“It’s over now,” Alex said. “The restraining order is filed. She can’t contact us.”
“Yeah. It’s over.”
But at midnight, both their phones buzzed.
Unknown number.
Unknown: Restraining orders are just paper. They don’t stop me. See you soon.