Chapter 1: The Woman Who Wasn’t Supposed To Be There
Elena stood in the middle of her own apartment, but every corner felt unfamiliar.
The place she had left two weeks ago was gone.
Her favorite blanket on the couch had been replaced by a colorful children’s one.
Her books were pushed aside to make room for toys.
The small plant she had carefully watered every morning was now dying near the window.
Someone had taken over her life without even noticing.
The man in her bathrobe watched her carefully.
“My name is Alex,” he finally said. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake.”
Elena stared at him.
“A mistake?”
Her voice cracked.
“You’re standing inside my apartment.”
Alex looked uncomfortable.
“I understand why you’re upset. But this is my home too.”
Those words hit harder than anything else.
My home too.
Before Elena could answer, a woman appeared from the kitchen.
She had a confused expression and was drying her hands with a towel.
“Alex? What happened?”
Then she saw Elena.
The woman froze.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
The child’s voice from the bedroom went silent.
Elena looked between them.
“Who are you?”
The woman slowly lowered the towel.
“My name is Olya.”
“And why are you living here?”
Olya looked at Alex.
Then back at Elena.
The silence became unbearable.
Finally, Alex reached toward a folder sitting on the table.
“We bought this apartment six months ago.”
Elena’s heart stopped.
“What?”
Alex opened the folder and pulled out documents.
Purchase agreement.
Ownership transfer.
Legal stamps.
Everything looked real.
But Elena shook her head.
“No.”
She stepped closer.
“No, this is impossible.”
She grabbed the papers with trembling hands.
Her name was still written on the old documents stored inside her suitcase.
The apartment number.
The address.
Everything matched.
Then she noticed something.
The seller’s name.
A person she had never heard of.
A man named Viktor Petrov.
Elena whispered:
“I never sold my apartment.”
Alex’s expression changed.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
That night, Elena sat in a cheap hotel room across town.
She couldn’t sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw another family living in her home.
A stranger wearing her robe.
A child playing where she used to drink coffee every morning.
At 2:13 a.m., her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She almost ignored it.
But something made her answer.
“Hello?”
A man’s voice came through.
“Are you Elena?”
Her body went cold.
“Yes.”
“You need to stop asking questions.”
She sat up.
“Who is this?”
The man didn’t answer.
Instead, he said:
“If you want to stay alive, forget about that apartment.”
The call ended.
Elena stared at the phone.
Then slowly looked toward the window.
May you like
Someone was standing outside.
Watching her.
