Michael had been dating Lily for a few months now, and things had been going great. He liked her quirkiness, her sense of humor, and the way she would randomly burst into song whenever they were walking down the street. But there was one thing that always lingered at the back of his mind, a little detail that would occasionally sneak its way into their conversations - her ex-boyfriend, Craig.
Craig had never really accepted the breakup. Lily had ended things amicably, but Craig seemed to think that it was just a temporary setback. He would call her in the middle of the night, text her endlessly, and even showed up at her work a few times. Lily had tried to be polite, but eventually she had to block him on everything.
But Michael couldn't shake off the feeling that Craig was still lurking around. Sometimes, he would think he saw someone following them down the street, or glimpsed a figure ducking behind a tree when they were out on a walk. Lily would roll her eyes whenever he brought it up, but Michael couldn't help but feel protective of her.
One night, as they were getting ready for bed, Lily froze. "What is it?" Michael asked.
"Someone's outside," she whispered. "Look, there's someone by the window."
Michael quickly sprang into action, pulling on some pants and grabbing a baseball bat. He crept over to the window, just as a figure started to clamber up the trellis outside. Michael threw the window open and lunged forward, striking the figure across the face with the bat.
It was Craig.
Michael felt a wave of rage course through him. This was the guy who had been tormenting Lily for months, who had made her feel unsafe in her own home. Without thinking, he drew his concealed gun and fired at Craig, hitting him in the leg.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the street. Michael and Lily stared at each other in shock. "You shot him," Lily breathed.
Michael felt a wave of fear. He hadn't meant to actually hurt anyone. But as they looked out the window, they saw Craig groaning on the ground, blood spreading across his pants.
"What do we do?" Michael asked, feeling his heart racing.
Lily took a deep breath. "We call the police. And we explain what happened."
Michael felt a surge of relief. With Lily by his side, he knew they could handle whatever came their way.