I posted a picture of my partner, Mark, on Facebook for the first time. We had been together almost a year, and I felt lucky to have him—sweet, caring, always making me laugh. I shared a cute hiking photo with the caption: “Just me and my favorite person on our latest adventure!”
Ten minutes later, I received a chilling message: “YOU MUST RUN FROM HIM. NOW.”
My heart raced. I clicked on the profile, but it was blank. Who sent this? Another message followed: “Don’t tell Mark anything. Smile, don’t be aggressive. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
I forced a smile and approached Mark, trying to appear normal. “Ready to go?”
“Everything okay?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
“Yeah, just my mom. I’ll text her later.”
That night, I couldn’t shake the messages. They replayed in my mind, making me doubt everything about Mark. He had always been loving, but what if I didn’t know him at all?
A man hugging his girlfriend | Source: Amomama
Days passed, and I felt increasingly uneasy. Mark often stared at me, which felt unsettling. One morning, I received another message: “Meet me at Bayou Bakery tomorrow at 2 p.m. I’ll give you evidence. Don’t tell Mark.”
I was terrified but felt compelled to go. “I’m meeting my mom for lunch,” I told Mark at breakfast.
“Really? You didn’t mention it,” he replied, his expression unreadable.
The next day, I left home, feeling Mark’s gaze on me. Arriving at the bakery, I sat nervously, waiting for answers. But no one came. Just as I was about to leave, Mark walked in.
“Ellie? What are you doing here? I thought you were meeting your mom.”
I stammered, “I thought you were at work. What are you doing here?”
“I got a message. Someone told me to come here,” he said.
Before we could process this, our friend Andrew entered, grinning. “Surprise!”
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.
Andrew leaned back, looking smug. “It was a prank. A test to see if you two really trusted each other.”
Mark was furious. “You scared us. Why would you do this?”
Andrew shrugged. “Too many relationships fall apart because of lies. I wanted to see if you’d talk to each other.”
I glared at him. “You made me think Mark was dangerous!”
Andrew’s smirk faded. “Maybe I went too far, but it shows you didn’t communicate.”
Leaving the bakery, I finally broke the silence. “Do you think Andrew’s right?”
Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe. We let those messages get in our heads instead of talking.”
