Chapter 88: The Escalation

Jason and I had started seeing a counselor to work through the doubts that had crept into our relationship. Slowly, we were rebuilding our trust and communication, but just as things seemed to be improving, Kate’s behavior escalated. It began innocuously enough, with a few more text messages. Jason showed them to me each time, his frustration evident. "Lily, I really don't know how to get her to stop," he said one evening, tossing his phone onto the kitchen counter after reading another flirtatious message from Kate. "I've told her I'm not interested, but she doesn't seem to get it." I sighed, my own frustration bubbling to the surface. "Maybe you need to be more direct, Jason. Tell her flat out to stop contacting you." "I've tried," Jason replied, rubbing his temples. "She's not listening." Despite our best efforts to ignore her, Kate's persistence only grew. She started visiting Jason’s workplace, dropping by unannounced with flimsy excuses. It was becoming unbearable. One afte