Chapter 4: The Room That Was Never Supposed To Exist
The old office looked smaller than I remembered.
That was the first thing that hit me when I stood across the street staring at the building Marcus once called the beginning of our empire.
Three years ago, this place had been full of noise.
Phones ringing.
People laughing.
Employees rushing through the hallway with coffee cups and impossible deadlines.
Marcus loved this building because it represented everything we had built from nothing.
He used to stand near the front windows, looking down at the city, and say:
“One day we’re going to have an entire floor in a skyscraper.””
I used to laugh.
“Why do you need an entire floor?””
He would smile.
“Because someday we’ll need the space.””
Back then, I believed every dream he had.
Now I stood outside that same building wondering if the biggest dream of my life had been built on a lie.
The sign above the entrance was gone.
The windows were covered with dust.
The place looked abandoned.
But Marcus said it wasn’t.
And somehow, I believed him.
That terrified me.
I checked my phone.
No messages.
No calls.
Nothing from Marcus.
Nothing from Daniel.
The silence felt intentional.
Like both men were waiting to see what I would do next.
I pushed open the old side entrance.
The lock had been broken for years.
The door creaked loudly as I stepped inside.
Immediately, memories attacked me.
The smell.
The empty hallway.
The faded marks on the walls where our company logo used to hang.
I remembered walking through here with Marcus on our first day.
We had no employees.
No investors.
Barely enough money to pay rent.
But we had each other.
At least I thought we did.
I pulled out my flashlight and walked deeper into the building.
“Marcus?”” I whispered.
I didn’t expect an answer.
But some part of me still hoped.
The old office floor was dark.
Most of the furniture had been removed.
But one thing caught my attention.
The conference room door.
It was closed.
I knew that door.
Everyone knew that door.
It was where Marcus and Daniel had their biggest arguments.
Where they made their biggest decisions.
Where they celebrated their biggest victories.
I reached for the handle.
Locked.
My stomach tightened.
Why would an abandoned office have a locked room?
I stepped back.
Then I noticed something.
A small scratch near the bottom of the door.
A mark.
Almost invisible.
But familiar.
Marcus used to make little marks around places where he hid things.
A habit from when he was a kid.
He told me once:
“If someone wants to hide something, they hide it where nobody looks.””
I touched the scratch.
My fingers found a tiny metal object hidden underneath.
A key.
My heartbeat increased.
I unlocked the door.
Inside was darkness.
No furniture.
No files.
Nothing.
At first, I thought I was wrong.
Then my flashlight moved across the wall.
And I saw it.
A photograph.
Pinned there.
A photograph of me.
My breath caught.
It was taken from a distance.
I was walking outside my apartment.
Watching.
Someone had been watching me.
Under the photograph was a handwritten note.
Three words.
*YOU WERE NEXT.*
I stepped back.
The room suddenly felt too small.
My phone rang.
I nearly dropped it.
Unknown number.
I answered immediately.
“Marcus?””
“No.””
The voice was not his.
My blood went cold.
“Who is this?””
A pause.
Then:
“You really should have stayed away.””
Daniel.
I didn’t speak.
Because hearing his voice in that room felt like confirmation of my worst fear.
“How did you know I was here?””
“You don’t understand what you’re walking into.””
“Where is Marcus?””
Silence.
“Daniel.””
“You think he’s the victim.””
My hand tightened around the phone.
“What does that mean?””
“It means Marcus has always been better at making people feel sorry for him.””
I looked at the photograph again.
The note.
The warning.
“Did you take this picture?””
“No.””
“Did you know about this room?””
Another pause.
That was enough.
“You did.””
“Nia, listen to me.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“You listen to me. I spent three years believing the man I loved was dead.””
“You think I don’t know that?””
“I think you know more than you told me.””
The silence afterward was painful.
Then Daniel said quietly:
“Leave the building.””
“Why?””
“Because if Marcus knows you found that room, he’ll come for you.””
I froze.
“What?””
But Daniel had already hung up.
I stood there alone.
Terrified.
Confused.
Angry.
Then I heard footsteps.
Behind me.
I turned.
Nobody.
The hallway was empty.
But the footsteps came again.
Closer.
I grabbed the nearest object I could find.
A broken piece of wood.
“Who’s there?””
No answer.
The footsteps stopped.
Then a voice whispered:
“Nia.””
My entire body froze.
Not because I recognized it.
Because I didn’t.
It wasn’t Marcus.
It wasn’t Daniel.
May you like
It was someone else.
Someone who had been waiting in the dark.
