Chapter 1

My husband, Liam, had only been gone for an hour when water started seeping again from the bathroom ceiling, a sinister drip that made my stomach churn.

It was always like this since we moved into this new apartment complex. Every single time Liam left for a business trip, the upstairs apartment would start leaking.

The first few times, Liam absolutely forbade me from going up there to talk to them. He said they were unreasonable, and he didn't want me to get upset or deal with any drama.

He reported it to the building management, and sure enough, the leaking would stop for a few days.

But as soon as he left for another trip, the leak would start all over again.

This time, I still called him first. "Liam, the ceiling is leaking again."

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I heard the sound of rushing water from his end of the line.

Then, Liam's voice came through:

"Don't worry about it. I'll deal with it when I get back from my trip. The people upstairs are trouble, so whatever you do, don't go up there yourself."

I nodded, just like I always did, but my feet were already carrying me out the front door.

I was going to find out just how much "trouble" those upstairs neighbors really were.

1

As I pressed the elevator button for the upstairs floor, my heart pounded with a mix of nerves and curiosity.

Liam, my husband, always claimed the upstairs residents had a terrible temper, yet every time he "discussed" it with them, the problem would be "resolved" for a few days. It was just too suspicious.

The elevator doors opened. I took a deep breath and walked towards their apartment door.

As I approached, I could faintly hear the sound of water and a woman's laughter from inside.

I raised my hand and knocked. The noise inside suddenly stopped.

But a long moment passed, and no one came to open the door.

I knocked again, harder this time, and raised my voice:

"Hello? I'm your downstairs neighbor. My bathroom ceiling is leaking again, and I'd like to understand what's going on."

Still no movement inside, and the water sounds had completely stopped.

A faint, lingering scent wafted out from under the door. It was a fragrance I’d never bought, yet it felt strangely familiar.

My mind was a chaotic whirl, but I forced myself to wait a few more minutes. Seeing no one would open the door, I reluctantly went back downstairs to my apartment.

Back home, I opened the building’s SnapChat group chat, hoping to find a contact for the upstairs neighbor, but after scrolling for ages, I found nothing.

The more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt, so I called building management. But even they knew very little about that particular unit.

I walked onto the balcony, thinking I might be able to call out to them, but just as I poked my head out, a familiar figure flashed past.

Wasn’t that Liam’s favorite gray jacket?

I wanted a closer look, but even after crouching there for half an hour, no one came out onto the balcony again.

Had I seen wrong?

I shook my head, convinced it was just my nerves playing tricks on me, making me hallucinate.

Just then, my front door lock clicked.

I jumped, startled. Liam was on a business trip – who else had a key to our apartment?

Could it be the upstairs residents, enraged by my visit, were coming for revenge?

I grabbed the broom by the door, hid behind it, and waited, my heart hammering in my chest, for the door to open.

The door slowly pushed open, and a figure walked in, holding a bouquet of roses.

I froze, the broom clattering to the floor:

"Liam? You're not supposed to be back from your trip yet! What are you doing here?"

Liam looked startled to see me too, then smiled and walked over:

"The company had a last-minute change to the project, and then you called about the leak. I couldn't stop worrying, so I decided to come home, and surprise you while I was at it."

He reached out to hug me, but I instinctively took a step back:

"I just went upstairs to talk to the neighbors. Someone was definitely home, but they wouldn’t open the door."

Liam's eyes flickered for a second, and he quickly changed the subject:

"I told you they're trouble. I'll go up there tomorrow. Just don't get involved, okay?"

As he spoke, he handed me the roses and leaned in to kiss me.

In that instant, I caught the same familiar scent I'd smelled upstairs, and my heart tightened.