The V-tuber Who Became Obsessed With Me

Third person’s POV

The afternoon air felt strangely warm after the cold sterility of the prison.

He retrieved his belongings, signed the final paperwork, and walked across the parking lot toward his car.

The moment he slid behind the wheel, the silence returned.

It settled around him like an unwelcome passenger.

He rested both hands on the steering wheel without starting the engine, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular.

He still had no idea where Jade was.

No idea who had taken him.

No idea why the kidnapper had suddenly postponed the exchange.

Every lead he had chased had disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving him exactly where he had started.

Waiting.

It was the waiting that hurt the most.

Doing nothing felt like betrayal.

He reached for his phone almost instinctively and stared at the unfamiliar number again.

His thumb hovered over the call button.

He knew it was pointless.

He pressed it anyway.

The call rang.

Once.

Twice.

Five times.

Then the automated voice informed him that the call could not be completed.

Ethan let out a slow breath and ended it before tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.

He leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

"Come on," he muttered under his breath. "Just give me something."

As if in answer, his phone began to ring.

His eyes flew open.

His heart lurched.

He grabbed it so quickly that it nearly slipped from his hand.

Without checking the screen, he answered.

"Hello?"

A familiar voice greeted him.

"Hey, Ethan."

His entire body stiffened.

"...Raina."

A faint laugh drifted through the speaker.

"You sound disappointed."

"No." Ethan rubbed a tired hand across his face. "I was expecting someone else."

"The people holding Jade?"

His hand froze.

His heartbeat quickened.

For a moment, he couldn’t even speak.

When he finally found his voice, it came out quieter than he intended.

"How do you know about that ?"

There was a brief pause.

"I’ll explain later."

Her voice remained calm, almost reassuring.

"But right now, I need you to meet me."

Ethan sat forward.

"What are you talking about?"

"I’ll send you the address."

"Raina, answer the question."

"You’ll get your answers."

She paused, and when she spoke again, her tone carried a seriousness that immediately caught his attention.

"Come alone."

He frowned.

"What?"

"I mean it, Ethan. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going, and make sure no one follows you."

Before he could ask another question, the line went dead.

Ethan stared at the dark screen for several long seconds.

His pulse was still racing.

She knew about the kidnappers

Not only that, she had spoken as though she knew far more than she should.

His phone vibrated.

A message.

An address.

Nothing else.

He read it twice.

It wasn’t anywhere inside Harrington.

In fact, it was so far outside the city that he had to zoom in on the map before recognizing the area.

He leaned back in his seat, thinking.

Every instinct told him this was a bad idea.

Meeting someone in an isolated location after everything that had happened bordered on reckless.

But what choice did he have?

The police had no leads.

The kidnappers had disappeared.

Two days had passed without a single clue.

If Raina knew something about Jade, she was the only lead he had left.

Ethan slipped the phone into his pocket, started the engine, and pulled out of the correctional center.

As the city gradually disappeared in his rearview mirror, a single question refused to leave his mind.

How much did Raina know... and why had she waited until now to tell him?

The address led him farther from Harrington than he had expected.

The familiar streets gradually gave way to quiet country roads lined with dense woodland, and before long even the last of the streetlights had disappeared. The navigation instructed him to leave the highway and continue along a narrow dirt road that twisted through the trees. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as he drove deeper into the forest, and with every mile his uneasiness grew.

He checked the map again.

The destination was still several minutes away.

There was nothing around him except towering pines and the occasional glimpse of sunlight reflecting through the branches. If someone had chosen this place because they didn’t want to be disturbed, they had chosen well.

The road finally opened into a wide clearing.

A cabin stood near the edge of a quiet lake, large enough to be called a lodge rather than a house. The water behind it shimmered beneath the afternoon sun, undisturbed except for the occasional ripple drifting across its surface. It would have been a peaceful place under different circumstances.

Today, it felt anything but.

Ethan slowed the car as he noticed the men standing outside.

There were more of them than he could count at first glance. Some stood near the entrance, others patrolled the perimeter, each dressed in dark suits with earpieces clipped discreetly behind their ears. They weren’t trying to hide what they were.

Security.

Professional security.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

Who exactly was Raina?

The question had been circling his mind for weeks, but standing there, looking at the level of protection surrounding a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere, it demanded an answer more urgently than ever.

He parked several metres from the entrance and stepped out of the car.

The nearest guard watched him approach but made no attempt to stop him.

Instead, the man inclined his head respectfully.

"Mr. Crux."

Ethan stopped.

"You know who I am?"

"We’ve been expecting you."

The guard opened the front door and stepped aside.

"Miss Takahashi is waiting inside."

Ethan hesitated.

Everything about the situation told him to turn around and leave. He had no idea where he was, no idea how many people were inside the cabin, and no idea what Raina intended to tell him.

But he had already come this far.

If she truly knew something about Jade, walking away wasn’t an option.

He took a steadying breath before crossing the threshold.

The interior was warm and surprisingly elegant. Wooden floors stretched beneath his feet, while floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the lake behind the cabin. Expensive furniture filled the spacious living room, yet the place didn’t feel lived in. It resembled a private retreat used only when necessary.

The sound of the door closing behind him echoed softly through the room.

Only then did he notice her.

Raina stood beside the window with her back to him, one hand resting lightly against the glass as she looked out over the water.

cream-colored sweater hung loosely over dark trousers, and her long red hair fell naturally over her shoulders. In another life, the sight would have brought him comfort.

Now it filled him with questions.

She turned slowly.

Their eyes met.

A faint smile touched her lips, gentle enough to remind him of the woman he had once known.

"You came."

"I almost didn’t."

"I knew you would."

Her certainty unsettled him.

She crossed the room at an unhurried pace and gestured toward one of the sofas.

"Sit down."

"I’d rather stand."

She regarded him for a moment before giving a small nod.

"You’re angry."

"I’m confused."

"That’s understandable."

"No," Ethan replied, his voice firmer now. "What’s understandable is that you called me to a cabin in the middle of nowhere after somehow learning about Jade’s location. What’s not understandable is why you seem perfectly calm about all of it."

Raina studied him quietly.

Instead of answering, she walked to a nearby table and poured herself a glass of water.

"You’ve missed several days at work."

Ethan stared at her in disbelief.

"That’s what you want to talk about?"

She looked up.

"I worked very hard to get you that promotion."

The words caught him completely off guard.

For a second, he simply looked at her.

Then a bitter laugh escaped him.

"I should have known."

The words were barely louder than a whisper.

"When headquarters offered me a position I never even applied for, I kept telling myself I’d finally gotten lucky."

He shook his head, letting out another hollow laugh.

"It never made sense."

His eyes found hers again.

"It was you."

Raina didn’t deny it.

A small smile touched her lips.

"Yes."

"I wanted you to have what you deserved."

Ethan looked away, running a frustrated hand through his hair before turning back to her.

"No."

His voice was firm now.

"I wanted to earn it."

"I applied for that promotion. I was rejected."

"It hurt, but I accepted it because I thought I simply wasn’t good enough yet."

He took a slow breath.

"Then, out of nowhere, headquarters offered me a position that was even better. I spent weeks wondering what I’d done differently."

His jaw tightened.

"Now I find out none of it was mine."

Raina stepped toward him without hesitation.

"You’re wrong."

"You earned every bit of it."

"I only made sure people stopped overlooking you."

"I never asked you to do that."

"I know."

"Then why?"

She looked at him as though the answer were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because I love you."

Ethan’s expression hardened.

"No."

"You don’t."

The words struck her harder than he intended.

"What you feel isn’t love anymore, Raina."

"It’s obsession."

She lowered her eyes for only a moment before looking back at him.

There were tears gathering there, but her voice remained remarkably steady.

"Maybe it is."

She took another step closer until barely a foot separated them.

"Call it obsession if you want."

"Call it madness."

"Call it whatever helps you sleep at night."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"It doesn’t change how I feel."

She slowly reached up and cupped his face with both hands.

Ethan froze.

"I’m not losing you, Ethan."

Her thumbs brushed gently across his cheeks.

"I can’t."

"Because if I lose you..."

She swallowed.

"...I lose my self ."

Ethan carefully wrapped his fingers around her wrists and lowered her hands.

"This isn’t healthy."

"No," she admitted quietly putting her hands right back on his face .

"It isn’t."

"But I have enough love for both of us."

"So if you can’t love me anymore..."

"...then let me love enough for the both of us."

Ethan gently removed Raina’s hands from his face and took a step back.

Silence settled between them.

Raina didn’t try to stop him. She simply watched him, her expression unreadable. Sadness lingered in her eyes, but beneath it was a quiet certainty that unsettled him far more than anger ever could.

He broke eye contact first.

"Why am I really here, Raina?"

She walked back to the window and rested a hand against the frame, watching the afternoon light dance across the lake before answering.

"You don’t have to worry about Jade anymore."

Ethan looked at her sharply.

"What does that mean?"

"I found him."

His brow furrowed.

"You... found him?"

"He’s safe."

The words landed heavily between them.

"You told me you didn’t know where he was."

"I didn’t."

"And now you do?"

She nodded once.

"I do."

Ethan searched her face for some sign that she was lying, but found nothing.

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere no one can hurt him."

"I asked where."

"And I’ve answered as much as I’m willing to."

Her voice remained calm, almost gentle, yet there was no mistaking the resolve behind it.

Frustration tightened Ethan’s jaw. He turned away, running a hand through his hair before pacing toward the fireplace.

"Do you have any idea what these last few days have been like? I’ve called that number so many times I’ve memorized it. Every hour that passed, I kept thinking I’d already run out of time."

Raina watched him quietly.

"I watched what it was doing to you."

He stopped.

"What?"

"I saw you falling apart."

He stared at her.

"You were watching me?"

"I was making sure you stayed safe ."

The answer left him more unsettled than reassured.

"I don’t understand you anymore."

Something flickered across her face before disappearing just as quickly.

"Maybe that’s because I’m no longer pretending to be the person you wanted me to be."

She crossed the room until only a few feet separated them.

"You and Susan spent days chasing people who couldn’t help you, while Jade was being tortured . "

Ethan frowned.

"Are you saying you rescued him?"

"I’m saying I made sure he stayed alive."

She held his gaze without hesitation.

"When you decide what you think of me, remember one thing. While everyone else was searching for answers, I was protecting the person you were trying to save. I am the only woman capable of doing something about it "

The room fell silent.

A sudden vibration broke it.

Both of them turned toward the coffee table, where an old black flip phone rattled against the polished wood.

Raina picked it up, glanced at the screen, and held it out.

"Answer it."

Ethan hesitated before taking the phone.

He flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

Static crackled for a moment.

Then a familiar voice answered.

"Ethan?"

Every muscle in his body locked.

"...Jade?"

A nervous laugh drifted through the speaker.

"I was beginning to think I’d never hear your voice again."

Relief swept through Ethan so suddenly that he caught himself on the back of a nearby chair. He shut his eyes, drawing in the first full breath he’d taken in days.

"Jade... are you okay?"

"I’m okay. Really."

The tightness in Ethan’s chest finally eased.

"Thank God."

Across the room, Raina said nothing.

She simply watched the strain leave his face, and although she never smiled, the tension in her shoulders softened.

For now, that was enough.