Let Her Be
By Lisa Unger, first published in Hush
Abusive ex-boyfriend Will shouldn't be looking at his old girlfriend's social media, especially when she has a restraining order against him for stalking. But he's the only one who notices when she goes missing, and he might need to follow her once more in order to save her life.
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Will treated his ex-girlfriend, Anisa, so badly she has a restraining order against him. After attempting to commit suicide in his sadness over losing their relationship, Will regains his footing with the help of a professional psychiatrist. He recognizes his wrongdoings, from bouts of blackout rage that caused him to abuse her in ways he can't remember to stalking her after she attempted to leave him. Still, when he reconnects with Anisa's friend, Emily, Will rekindles an interest in Anisa's life. As he scrolls her social media, he begins to realize something horrible has happened to Anisa. Her captions no longer sound like her, the photos she posts are recycled images from years earlier, and nobody has heard from her in four months. The internet believes Anisa has completely escaped her life to pursue idyllic bliss in the country with her new lover. Will knows better, but if he tells anyone, he admits to continuing his stalking behaviors towards Anisa. When Emily expresses similar concerns, however, Will confides in her and she confesses she's also worried someone hurt Anisa. Emily convinces Will to drive into the country with her to search for Anisa, although he worries about violating his restraining order. They visit the town where Will lived as a child, stained by the tragic death of his older sister and whispers that Will was somehow involved in her drowning. With no results and dusk setting in, they stay the night in his family's old house and wind up sleeping together. Emily confesses she's loved Will for years and invented her concerns about Anisa's safety to trick him into spending more time with her. Anisa's safe in another city across the country. Will descends into one of his blackout rages, destroyed by such a significant lie. A few months later, Will's making the book deal of his dreams when one of his colleagues asks about Emily. Will says he hasn't heard from Emily in months either but heard she decided to travel to England. In his bag are Emily's treasured notebook and a necklace she carried with her everywhere. He admits to missing all of them - his sister, Anisa, and Emily - but knows nobody will ever find out what happened to them.
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