The girl, Sarah, 25, gripped the strap of her bag, trembling as she stood before the door of room 806 in the city’s tallest hotel. She had spent a whole year researching and secretly loving this man—Ethan, 38, successful, reserved, kind… or at least she still believed so.

They met through work. Ethan never pressured her, never flirted crudely—he just patiently cared for her and asked about her day, making Sarah believe he was the first man in her life she wanted to open up to.

That evening, she took the initiative to text him: “I want to be alone with you tonight… If you want that too.” He agreed very quickly, so quickly that it made Sarah a little uneasy. But then she reassured herself. She wanted this. And she had decided.

5 MINUTES AGO

Inside the room, Sarah sat on a chair, her hands clenched. Her heart pounded as if it wanted to escape her chest. Ethan walked towards her gently: — “Are you scared?” She nodded, trying to keep her voice steady: — “Sir… I’m still a virgin. I’ve never slept with anyone before. I’m worried… I’m afraid I won’t know what to do.”

Ethan froze. He didn’t smile, didn’t tease, didn’t embrace her as she had expected.

He just… stared. For a long time. A strange expression flashed across his face. Not shock. Not happiness. But more like… relief.

Sarah frowned: — “What’s wrong?” Ethan’s answer sent a chill down Sarah’s spine: — “Yes. That’s good. Finally, I’m sure.”

5 MINUTES LATER

Sarah was confused. Before she could ask anything more, Ethan walked over to the small suitcase he’d brought, typed in the password, and opened it. Sarah was stunned.

Inside were not personal belongings. Not clothes. Not men’s toiletries. But dozens of file folders, each with a photo of a different girl printed on it. The same age. The same hairstyle. The same general facial features as Sarah.

On each folder were notes that read: “Previously intimate – reject.” “Had a prior boyfriend – reject.” “Lived with a significant other – reject.” “Uncertain – continue monitoring.”

Sarah saw… her own name at the bottom: “Sarah – 12 months observation. No dating. No close contact with anyone. Potentially suitable.”

She jumped out of the chair: — “You… What is this?” Ethan closed the suitcase, locking it with a click, then looked at her with ice-cold eyes: — “I’m sorry. But I need a woman who has never loved anyone, completely.” — “Why?!” – Sarah yelled. Ethan replied slowly, word for word: — “To avoid… becoming like my mother.”

Sarah stepped back, her legs shaking violently. Ethan continued: — “My mother married my father when she was very young. No one knew she had a man before him. But at age 40, she became ill… saying there was a man standing in the room calling her every night. She said: If she hadn’t betrayed him that day, he wouldn’t have followed her for the rest of her life.”

Sarah got goosebumps. Ethan spoke in a monotone, as if he had believed this for years: — “I have to choose someone who has no connection to the past. Someone completely blank. Someone who has no one… ‘following’ them. And you are the first person to meet all the criteria.”

Sarah gasped: — “You tracked me for a year just to… choose me as a stand-in for your paranoia?!” Ethan didn’t deny it. He just stepped closer, reaching out as if to touch Sarah’s face: — “I don’t want to hurt you. Just stay by my side. So… no one else can ‘come and take you away’.”

Sarah burst into tears, recoiling. But just then—

THE FINAL TWIST

The door to room 806 opened by itself. A gust of cold wind blew in. Ethan immediately stood in front of Sarah, pale and shaking as if facing something terrifying: — “No… Don’t. I’ve already chosen. She has never loved anyone, she doesn’t belong to you…”

Sarah frantically turned her head. In the doorway— the hallway light flickered. No one was there. But Sarah clearly saw: Someone’s hand was gripping her shoulder. An ice-cold hand. And Ethan was staring intently at that very hand.