Passengers were gathering their belongings.
Children laughed somewhere behind us.
Life continued as though nothing unusual had happened.
For me, however, every second suddenly felt uncertain.
“Was it Daniel?” I asked.
“My ex?”
Marcus looked at me carefully.
“Has he ever made you feel unsafe?”
I instinctively answered too quickly.
“No…”
The silence that followed made me rethink my own response.
Daniel had never raised his voice.
He never needed to.
He always found a way to make every disagreement seem like my fault until I questioned my own judgment.
Marcus didn’t interrupt.
He simply listened.
When the aircraft finally touched down, he spoke again.
“Emily, don’t leave the airport alone today.”
His calm voice somehow made the warning feel even more serious.
“Why?”
“The person who contacted me knew you were on this flight.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“They also knew your full name.”
