I'm SO SO interested to know how the heck Peter's obsession started?? Because OMG, he escalated his situation way too much. P.S., I love your art
Plot: (a quick rundown of the events)
The story takes place in Canada. The protagonist, 24-year-old Grace, decides to make a drastic change in her life and leave her small hometown. She connects with her best friend from high school, Christy, who moved to another big city in sixth grade.
After this conversation, Grace decides to move. Her mother (divorced) initially doesn't want to let her daughter go, but after much debate, she finally agrees: life shouldn't stand still. Grace leaves home and a few days later arrives at Christy's, who greets her warmly and offers her temporary shelter until her friend gets back on her feet.
A year passes. Grace has fully settled into her new life, rented her own place, and her life is going great. She makes great colleagues and friends: Rita, Garfield, Nick, Tyler, and Roma (with whom she's been in a relationship for five months now).
However, her streak is interrupted by a computer breakdown. It happens at the worst possible time, at the end of the month, when she's desperately short of money for a good repairman. Having stumbled across Peter's contact information on a job board, offering cheap repairs, Grace calls him. They arrange to meet that evening, but he never shows up.
The next morning, at precisely six o'clock, Grace is awakened by a sharp knock at the door. The repairman stands at the threshold. Not only has he shown up unannounced at such an early hour, but he's also rude to her from the doorway for taking so long to open the door. Grace has important documents and notes on her computer, so she reluctantly lets him in.
While Peter works, Grace politely watches him, offers him tea, and asks if he needs anything. For Peter, accustomed to a rough atmosphere and loneliness, this banal politeness seems sacred. He finds the comfort and warmth he so desperately needed in the girl's home. Grace, however, has no such intentions and is even a little wary of the strange handyman.
After finishing the repairs, Peter takes the money, and they part ways. However, a few days later, he begins sending Grace strange messages: "Should I look at your computer again?", "Is there anything else that needs fixing?", "Are you interested in photos?" Grace ignores him, and then blocks him altogether. She doesn't yet realize that by blocking him on social media, she's missed the boat: she's unblocked her personal life, and Peter won't let her go.
A month passes. Peter knows literally everything about Grace: her tastes, her favorite places to hang out, her social circle, and her friends' phone numbers. Roma is especially furious with him, as Grace is the only one who made Peter feel love again. The stalker is diligently preparing for the big day, ready to free his princess from the clutches of the cruel world and lock her away in his castle. All he needs is the right opportunity, and soon, fortune smiles upon him.
During one of his latest stakeouts, Peter witnesses an argument between Grace and Roma. Grace starts talking about getting engaged and living together, but Roma evades the question and prevaricates, declaring that he's not ready to be a husband yet. Offended and rejected, Grace heads home in tears. Roma is left to ponder the situation, reliving recent events, but he believed that the time for family life wasn't yet right.
Peter realizes this is the perfect moment. He lies in wait for her on a dark street, chloroforms her, and forces her into the car. His goal is achieved; he has her. Epilogue
Peter locks Grace in his apartment, in a specially designed bathroom, completely cutting her off from the outside world. From that moment on, the countdown begins – exactly five months. Five months until the day Grace is finally found.
I plan to illustrate the subsequent events and the ending, but that's all you need to know about the plot for now; I've only imagined it in fragments so far. My plan is to gradually flesh out the entire story. Thanks for following us!