I shivered. Had I been this dead to the world when the intruder was in my apartment? Did the intruder touch me like I’d just touched Max?

I looked down at Max again, suddenly realizing how vulnerable he was at that moment. How could he sleep so soundly after what I’d told him last night? If Max had been the one sitting across from me blathering about some weird recording and a possible stalker, I sure as hell wouldn’t have let him into my home, no matter how cute he was. The story sounded too outrageous to be true, and I would have wondered about the mental stability of the person telling it.

Max, it seemed, was more trusting than I was, and for that I was glad. I reached for my phone and snuggled back down into his fresh-smelling, blue-and-white-striped sheets. I kissed him gently on his bare shoulder and then opened Instagram to start my morning routine. I checked the Hirshhorn’s accounts first, interacting with some posts and tweets before moving on to check my own. I responded to comments, deleted a few obvious bot comments, and then checked my tags.

I blinked when I saw my most recent tag, wondering if I had somehow clicked back to the Hirshhorn account. But no—there was a photo of one of the Rosalind dioramas, Rosalind in a tiny sparkly dress, out dancing with some of her friends while her masked stalker lurked in the background, and there, right on Rosalind’s little blonde head, was the tag for my personal account: @audreyvmiller.

That doesn’t mean anything, I told myself as my mind began to spin. All it means is that this user @an0nYmiss knows you’re the Social Media Manager and is trying to get your attention.

But then I read the caption: Your apartment misses you.

“Jesus,” I said aloud, shuddering so violently that Max blinked and sat up.

“What is it?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. “What’s going on?”

I glanced down at the offending post in my trembling hand. I knew that Max would put his arms around me, tell me it was all right. But what would he really be thinking? Would he start to wonder what kind of trouble he’d invited into his bed? I sure would. I wouldn’t want to see someone whose stalker plainly knew when they weren’t there. What if he knew I was here?

I quickly turned off my screen and grinned. “Nothing. I was just catching up on some celebrity gossip. Sorry if I woke you.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said with a sleepy smile as he leaned over to kiss me. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

That’s right, I thought to myself as I returned the kiss. I didn’t do anything wrong. There was no reason I needed to tell him about that post. No reason to worry him.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR CAT

Every once in a while, you meet a couple so well matched, so clearly perfect for each other that you can’t help but believe in destiny.” Priya paused and looked around, her eyes misty. “Tonight, we’re gathered to celebrate one of those couples. Jessa and Lamar, we love you and couldn’t be more thrilled that you’re engaged. Everyone, please join me in raising a glass to the happy couple. Congratulations, you guys!”