Chapter 5

3rd pov

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, snapping her out of her haze. She leaned forward, her heart fluttering at the thought that it might be Jake. But when she picked it up, the screen showed an unknown number. Curiosity furrowed her brow as she opened the message.

The image loaded slowly, revealing a grainy photo. Leia's breath caught in her throat as the picture became clear. It was Jake, unmistakably him, standing with a group of men in what looked like a sketchy alleyway. The lighting was poor, but the surroundings—graffiti-splattered walls, scattered trash—painted a picture of unease. The caption beneath it read, Do you really know where he is? Do you know him well?

Leia stared at the screen, her heart pounding. Her mind raced with questions. Who sent this? Why? Was Jake okay? Was this part of the pre-birthday weekend he'd mentioned?

She sat frozen, gripping her phone as her thoughts spiraled. The Jake she knew—the Jake who loved quiet nights and meaningful moments—didn't fit in a place like that. But the evidence was right in front of her.

A lump formed in her throat as doubt took hold again. She reread the caption, her chest tightening with every word. "Who are you?" she whispered aloud, wishing she could demand answers from the faceless sender.

Leia's fingers trembled as she considered texting Jake. She opened their chat but hesitated. What would she even say? What if there was a perfectly reasonable explanation? What if there wasn't? Instead, she stared at the photo again, her mind racing with unanswered questions, the unease settling in her bones like a weight she couldn't shake.

Leia's fingers trembled as she returned to the anonymous sender, typing a single message: Who is this?

Moments later, her phone buzzed again. Another image loaded, this time of Jake standing with a bottle of alcohol in one hand, a cigarette in the other. His friends surrounded him, laughing and clinking glasses. Leia's breath caught as the messages began pouring in one after another.

The next image showed Jake taking a swig from the bottle, his face relaxed and carefree. Then another—him exhaling smoke, his eyes slightly glazed. Leia's mind reeled. Jake didn't drink. He didn't smoke. He had told her that himself, so many times over the years. Had he lied?

As the images kept coming, her stomach churned. One showed the group entering a building with a neon sign flickering above the door. The letters were barely readable, but the name was unmistakably provocative. Her heart sank further as the final image loaded—this time, it wasn't Jake but the street outside the building, crowded with men and scantily clad women.

A message followed, cutting through her spiraling thoughts like a blade: Did you know Jake is a frequent visitor here?

Leia's hands trembled as she read the next one: Do you know what Jake does every time he says he's going out with his boys?

Another buzz: Do you really know Jake well enough to trust him?

Leia's chest tightened painfully. The words echoed her stepmother's doubts, amplifying the voice of her own insecurities. Her vision blurred as her mind tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Was this really Jake? Could he have hidden this side of himself from her all these years?

Her heart screamed at her to deny it, to cling to the Jake she knew—the man who had always been honest, kind, and grounded. But the images told a different story, one that didn't match the Jake she had built her life around. Who would send her this? And why now?

Leia slumped back into the couch, her phone clutched tightly in her hands. Questions whirled around her, each one heavier than the last, until she felt utterly weighed down by uncertainty and dread. Her mind screamed for clarity, and before she could second-guess herself, Leia dialed Jake's number. The phone rang, each tone stretching into eternity. But just when she thought he might pick up, it clicked to voicemail.

"Hey, it's Jake. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you." The familiar recording felt like a wall slamming in her face.

Leia ended the call and immediately redialed, the panic rising in her chest. Again, it rang, and again it went to voicemail. Her hands shook as she tried a third time, and then a fourth. Each attempt ended the same way—no answer.

Her phone buzzed once more, and she glanced down to see another message from the anonymous sender. This time, it was a photo of Jake looking at his phone, his brows furrowed in apparent annoyance. The next image showed him cutting the call, the screen of his phone glowing faintly in the dim light.

Leia's breath hitched. Was he ignoring her? Her heart pounded as another image loaded, this one showing him laughing with his friends, the bottle still in his hand. The message that followed twisted the knife further: See? You're not a priority when he's here. Do you really know where he belongs when he says he's with his boys?

She clenched her jaw, her nails digging into her palm as she tried calling again. This time, it didn't even ring. Straight to voicemail. "Jake," she whispered, her voice cracking. Her mind raced with possibilities—had he blocked her? Was his phone off? Was he intentionally ignoring her?

The anonymous sender buzzed in again. Another photo. This time, Jake was standing at the entrance of the building with the provocative neon sign. The caption read: Every lie comes from somewhere. Are you sure you're ready to find out the truth?

Leia's stomach churned, her mind a battlefield of denial and creeping dread. Who was this person? How did they know so much about Jake—and about her? Her fingers hovered over her phone, desperate to call Jake one more time, but she hesitated, her confidence faltering. She didn't know if she could handle another unanswered call.

Then another thought struck her. Could this be her stepmother's doing? She knew how much her stepmother disapproved of Jake. The possibility sent a fresh wave of frustration through her.

Without thinking, Leia swiped through her contacts and dialed her stepmother. The phone rang twice before her stepmother answered, her voice clipped as usual. "Leia, what is it now?"

Leia didn't bother with pleasantries. "Did you send me these pictures? Are you trying to ruin my relationship?"

Her stepmother sounded genuinely confused. "What pictures? What are you talking about? And why would I waste my time doing something like that?"

Leia's grip on the phone tightened. "Because you've always wanted to see Jake out of the picture! You've never approved of him, and now, conveniently, I'm getting all these... things to make me doubt him. If it's not you, then who?"

Her stepmother scoffed, her tone turning icy. "Leia, whatever drama you're imagining, I'm not part of it. You're being irrational. Honestly, if Jake's so perfect, why are you even questioning him?"

Leia retorted back in annoyance, "I am not! I just want to know if this is your doing!"

Her stepmother sighed again, a sound filled with exasperation and dismissal. "Once again, Leia, whatever drama you're imagining, I'm not part of it. Honestly Leia, you need to hear this. You're so desperate for love, you'll take scraps and call it a meal. Jake's just the latest in a line of mistakes you're bound to make."

Leia's grip on the phone tightened, her nails digging into her palm. "That's enough," she said through gritted teeth. "You've never approved of anything in my life. Not Jake, not my choices, not even me."

Her stepmother chuckled dryly, the sound cutting through Leia's defenses like a blade. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. I tried to help you see sense with Mark and others who could actually provide for you. But no, you had to chase after some nobody with no stability. Just like your mother."

"Don't bring her into this," Leia snapped, her voice trembling with anger.

"Why not?" her stepmother retorted sharply. "She's the blueprint for this mess. She left, Leia. Left you, left your father, and left her responsibilities. And now you're following in her footsteps, clinging to fantasies instead of reality."

Leia felt her chest tighten, her throat burning with suppressed tears. "You don't know me," she whispered, her voice cracking. "And you don't know Jake."

"I know enough," her stepmother shot back coldly. "Enough to know you're setting yourself up for heartache. Again."

Leia's frustration boiled over. "I don't need this from you right now," she snapped, and before her stepmother could respond, Leia ended the call.

Almost immediately, her phone buzzed with a message. She sighed, expecting another barrage of pictures, but it was from her stepmother. Her heart sank as she opened the message to find a stream of toxic accusations and insults.

You're just like your mother, chasing after the wrong people. Jake's no different than the others who let you down. You're too naive to see it now, but one day you'll realize I was right.

Leia clenched her jaw, refusing to give her stepmother the satisfaction of a reply. Instead, she turned her attention back to the anonymous sender. With shaking hands, she typed out a response: What do you want?

The reply came almost instantly: I don't want anything. I'm just a well-wisher. But I'm not your stepmother, your father, or your birth mother. I have no agenda—just the truth.

Leia stared at the screen, her mind spinning. If it wasn't her stepmother, then who? And what truth were they talking about? Her thoughts were a jumble of fear, anger, and doubt as she sat frozen, unable to shake the feeling that her world was starting to unravel.