She stared at me for a long time, her sharp gaze pinning me until I couldn’t meet her eyes.
The next day after work, I passed by a café and caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye—
Laura sat at the window, phone in hand, her camera aimed straight at me.
My steps froze.
Then, forcing myself to pretend I hadn’t noticed, I quickened my pace and left.
When I got home—
“Emily, you’ve worked hard. No need to write in your journal tonight.”
My panic deepened.
Laura Parker held out a brand-new phone box.
“Emily, your old phone is too slow. Mommy got you a new one.”
I took the phone, my stomach tightening with dread.
“This one works much better. I’ve already installed all the apps for you.”
She gently stroked my head, her voice tender to the point of terror.
“Emily, Mommy just loves you too much. I’m afraid someone will trick you.”
I unlocked the phone—and sure enough, there it was.
Location trackers. Monitoring apps. Even my call logs would sync automatically.
“Mom, this…”
“This is for your protection.” Her warm smile was chilling. “I can’t be with you every second, so this is how I care for you.”
My phone rang. At the same time, hers rang too.
Synced…