A SHADOW BEHIND

A SHADOW BEHIND
Mike’s POV

Sitting in my office, I felt completely drained. I grabbed my phone from the desk to check the time—it was already past nine in the evening.

I had intended to call Xender earlier so we could catch up, but I guess we both got completely carried away by work.

Grabbing the bottle of water beside my laptop, I gulped down the rest of it in one go before pushing myself to my feet.

I needed to check on the patient Xender had left under my care. Ever since she arrived a week ago, she had been entirely out of it. She barely spoke a word, sitting by the window for hours on end, staring outside as if she might leap out of it at any second.

Then came the restless crying at night. She was perpetually trapped in a nightmare she couldn't escape, whether awake or sleeping. At times, I had to resort to sedating her just so her body could get some rest.

It was glaringly obvious that all of this had severely fractured her mental state—but then again, perhaps it was her karma. A nightmare of her own making.

Taking the elevator up to the private ward, I walked past the room Elba had stayed in before she vanished. Instinctively, my footsteps slowed, and I found myself stepping inside.

I always seemed to end up in this empty room at the end of every long day. When Xender first sent Miss Anna over, I could have assigned her to this room, but it felt as though the faint, lingering memory of Elba would fade if anyone else stayed here. So, I kept it vacant.

How foolish of me.

Her presence had felt so vivid, yet I kept trying to convince myself that everything had just been a surreal dream. Maybe because it made no sense for me to be developing feelings for an elf princess I had known for less than twenty-four hours.

Or was I just desperately trying to fool myself?

I ran a hand through my hair, slipping my hands deep into the pockets of my lab coat as I made my way back out into the hallway.

I secretly wished I could see her again—even if only for a split second.

Heading into Miss Anna’s ward, I found her sitting on her bed, staring blankly ahead as usual.

Giving a gentle knock on the frame, I called out to catch her attention before stepping inside. She only spared me a brief, hollow glance before returning her gaze to the empty space in front of her.

“How are you holding up?” I asked gently.

She offered nothing more than a faint nod.

“You haven't eaten your lunch or dinner, have you?”

Silence was her only answer. Right on cue, the phone resting in her lap began to vibrate aggressively.

It was the exact same caller who had been harassing her all week. She didn't make a move to pick it up, but whenever that number flashed across her screen, I couldn't help but notice the raw terror seizing her eyes.

Shortly after the ringing stopped, a text notification chimed. She took one single glance at the screen, immediately tossed the phone across the bed, and her breathing spiked into shallow, panicked gasps.

I took a step toward her to check her pulse, but she scrambled backward, shielding herself with the blanket as her tear-filled eyes locked onto mine.

“Just leave me alone!” she whimpered.

I stared at her for a moment, absorbing the sheer distress radiating from her, before taking a step back to give her space.

“Since you haven't eaten a thing all day, I'll go grab you some fresh fruit. I don't think your stomach can handle anything heavier right now,” I said softly, letting my eyes sweep the room to ensure there were no sharp objects or potential tools for self-harm laying around.

In her unstable condition, I genuinely feared she might harm herself—and whatever was written in that text message had clearly shattered what little composure she had left.

I walked toward the door, but paused at the threshold, struggling with the guilt of leaving her alone in the mental nightmare she was trapped in. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Mr. Sebastian was the one relentlessly blowing up her phone with calls and threats.

“You do know you're safe here,” I said, turning back to her briefly. “But leaving your phone on, knowing he's capable of tracking your whereabouts, isn't a good idea.”

With that warning, I stepped out and left the clinic.

I took a slow walk down to the supermarket a few blocks away, picking up some grapes, apples, berries, and a few light snacks before starting my walk back.

As I walked down the street, an unsettling sensation washed over me—a creeping feeling that I was being trailed, like a shadow closing in on my heels. But every time I turned to look behind me, there were only a few ordinary pedestrians minding their own business.

Just then, my phone vibrated loudly in my pocket.

It was Xender. Took him long enough.

“Wow, I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to call me back,” I greeted him the moment I answered, pushing aside the paranoid feeling of being followed as I continued down the sidewalk toward the clinic.

“I'm sorry, man,” Xender replied, his voice heavy with fatigue. “I've been buried in this launch setup. I need most of it live by midnight. Having Miss Anna testify in court tomorrow isn't going to be the only surprise I have waiting for Seth.”

“Hmm. Speaking of Miss Anna, she really isn't holding up well,” I reported, letting out a weary sigh. “She's practically spiraling into a nervous breakdown. I think Mr. Sebastian has been threatening her nonstop through calls and texts. I know I shouldn't care after what she did, but I'm actually getting worried about her.”

“Whatever she's going through is a light punishment compared to what they did to Alda,” Xender said, his tone turning dark and laced with anger. “She better show up in court tomorrow if she has an ounce of remorse left in her body.”

I could hear the absolute exhaustion in his voice. The guy was clearly pulling another brutal all-nighter.

“Why do I have a feeling you haven't been home all week?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. “You're probably slumped in front of your laptop with your sleeves rolled up, hair an absolute mess from dragging your hands through it, and looking rough as hell because you haven't slept or shaved in days.” I let out a light chuckle.

“Oh, wow. Look at that,” Xender retorted, mimicking my tone. “Did you plant a hidden camera in my office or something?”

Before I could throw back a witty reply, I heard rushed footsteps behind me.

“Excuse me,” a young voice called out.

I turned around to find a pale, sickly-looking teenager standing in front of me. He didn't look a day older than fifteen or sixteen, his face marked with dark bruises, and his hands buried deep inside the front pocket of an oversized hoodie.

“Are you Doctor Mike?” he asked softly.

“Hello? Mike, are you still there?” Xender’s voice came through the receiver.

“Yeah, hold on a second,” I told Xender, pulling the phone away from my ear before addressing the boy. “Yes, I'm Doctor Mike. Were you looking for me?”

The boy nodded nervously. “Someone wanted me to give this to you.”

Before my brain could process his words, he lunged forward.

Instantly, a cold, blinding agony pierced through my lower abdomen.

I gasped in violent shock as he drove the sharp blade deeper into my stomach, twisting it as he shoved me backward.

My knees instantly buckled under the horrific pain. I shoved him away with what little strength I had left, stumbling back in absolute horror as my hands instinctively flew to the wound.

“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't have a choice! He wants you dead!” the boy sobbed in panic before turning on his heel, sprinting around the corner, and vanishing into the alleyway.

I collapsed back against the brick wall of a storefront, sliding down as my legs completely gave out beneath me. Hot, thick blood was soaking rapidly through my clothes and coat, and a heavy dizziness swept over my brain.

The grocery bag slipped from my hand, scattering fruit across the pavement.

“Mike! Mike!” Xender’s frantic voice echoed faintly from the phone lying on the ground beside me.

“Oh, my God...” I rasped out, my breath coming in shallow, agonizing hitches. “If I knew... if I knew this was going to happen... I would've demanded your entire life savings... or at least a share in your company...” I choked out, my vision blurring into dark spots.

“Mike?! Are you okay, buddy?! What's happening?!”

Xender’s panicked voice sounded miles away now as the darkness began pulling me under.

A piercing scream echoed nearby—a woman’s face blurred into view above me, followed by a chorus of panicked voices shouting for help—until everything went completely black.