Anijohn Story House

EPISODE 2: THE COUNTDOWN

I stood just outside Daniel’s office door, completely frozen.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like the sound might give me away.

Inside, his voice had dropped low… shaky, almost broken.

“No… listen carefully,” he said into the phone, barely above a whisper. “You told me I still had years.”

A pause.

Then suddenly, his hand slammed down on the desk.

“You can’t change the agreement now!”

My whole body went cold.

Agreement?

What agreement?

I had never heard Daniel sound like that before.

Not once.

Not in business stress. Not in pressure. Nothing.

But that night… there was fear in his voice.

Real fear.

I leaned in slightly, trying to catch more words.

Then everything went quiet.

A moment later, I heard footsteps coming toward the door.

My chest tightened instantly.

I rushed away quickly and slipped back into the bedroom before he could catch me there.

When Daniel returned, I was already in bed, pretending to sleep.

But even with my eyes closed, I could feel him standing there, watching me.

The silence in the room was heavy… uncomfortable.

After what felt like forever, he finally lay down beside me.

Neither of us slept.

The next morning, Daniel acted like nothing had happened.

Too normal.

He smiled over breakfast.
Took calls.
Even laughed with the house staff.

But I couldn’t focus on anything.

My mind kept going back to what I heard:

“You promised I still had more time.”

By mid-morning, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Daniel,” I asked carefully, “who were you talking to last night?”

His smile flickered… just slightly.

“Nobody important.”

“That didn’t sound like nothing.”

He sipped his coffee calmly.
“Business matters.”

I held his gaze.

“You sounded scared.”

He avoided my eyes.

“I’m fine.”

That answer annoyed me more than it comforted me.

Daniel always used to tell me everything.

But lately… it felt like he was slowly disappearing behind a wall I couldn’t break.

And honestly, it scared me.

By afternoon, things got worse.

Daniel started giving his things away.

At first, I thought it was random kindness.

He gave a friend an expensive wristwatch worth millions.
Then another friend got one of his luxury suits.
By evening, shoes, jewelry, even his favorite perfume were gone.

That was when I snapped.

“Why are you suddenly distributing everything you own?”

He looked at me calmly.

“I just want people close to me to be happy.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He gave a faint smile.
“Maybe I’m learning that things don’t matter as much as we think.”

Something inside me burned.

“Stop talking like someone preparing to disappear!”

Silence hit the room instantly.

For a moment, Daniel just looked at me.

And I noticed it properly for the first time.

He wasn’t just tired.

He looked… drained.

Not physically.

Deeply.

Like someone carrying something invisible no one else could see.

That night, rain poured heavily over the city.

Daniel sat on the balcony for hours, staring into the storm with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

I eventually joined him, wrapping myself in a blanket against the cold.

We didn’t speak for a long time.

Then suddenly, he said:

“If something happens to me… would you forgive me?”

I turned sharply.

“What kind of question is that?”

He didn’t look at me.

“Just answer.”

Fear tightened in my chest.

“Daniel… you’re scaring me.”

Silence.

I grabbed his hand.

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Then what is this about?”

He finally looked at me.

And the sadness in his eyes nearly broke me.

“There are things about my life you don’t understand.”

“Then explain them!”

He opened his mouth… paused… then closed it again.

Like the words were trapped inside him.

Finally, he stood up.

“I’m tired,” he whispered, before walking back inside.

That night, I cried in silence in the bathroom.

Because I truly didn’t recognize the man I loved anymore.

The next day only made things worse.

He sent a huge sum of money to his younger sister without warning, telling her to take care of their mother.

Later, he visited an orphanage and donated heavily — food, clothes, cash — things he hadn’t done in months.

Everywhere he went, it felt like goodbye… without him saying the word.

And the more I watched…

The more afraid I became.

That evening, while Daniel was in the shower, his phone vibrated beside me on the bed.

Normally, I never touched it.

But something in me… fear, panic, confusion — pushed me.

I picked it up.

No name on the screen.

Just a symbol.

A black circle.

Exactly like the ring he never removed.

Before I could think twice, I answered.

Silence.

Then a deep voice came through:

“Tell Daniel his remaining time cannot be extended again.”

My body went numb instantly.

I could barely breathe.

“W-who is this?” I whispered.

The line went dead.

My hands were shaking as I stared at the screen.

At that exact moment, the bathroom door opened.

Daniel stepped out, towel around his neck.

The second he saw his phone in my hand, his face changed completely.

Fear.

Raw, immediate fear.

“Who called?” he demanded.

I could barely speak.

“A man…”

He rushed toward me.

“What did he say?”

My voice trembled.

“He said… your remaining time cannot be extended.”

All the color drained from Daniel’s face.

And for the first time since I knew him…

He looked like a man who already knew the end was close.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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