At the age of sixty-two, I spent the night with a man twenty-eight years younger than me. I did it because I was tired of being invisible and because, for once, I wanted to feel passion. But when I woke up alone in the hotel room the next morning, I discovered something scary...

That night I went up with him.

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I knew what people might think.

But I didn't feel ridiculous.

I felt human.

The hotel room was dimly lit, with city lights shining through the curtains.Book Boutique Hotels

Julian helped me take my coat off and told me she was beautiful.

No one had said anything like that since Richard's death.

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For one night I forgot my age, my solitude and the empty house that was waiting for me.

I fell asleep by her side, nervous, comforted and strangely in peace.

But when I opened my eyes the next morning, the room was cold.

Julian had left.

At first I figured I went down and looked for coffee.

Then I looked at the chair that was by the door.

My bag was open.

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My wallet was on the floor.

My phone was missing.

And on the bedside table, next to a glass of wine empty, there was a little white envelope with my name written.

My hands started shaking before I could open it.

There was a picture inside.

A photograph of me while I was sleeping.

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On the back they had written six words in black ink:

“Now you’ll do exactly what I tell you.

What do you think Julian wanted from me?

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PART 2Watch The Space

Under the photograph was another sheet of paper.

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At first, the words turned blurry before my eyes.

Then I forced myself to read them.

Transfer twenty-five thousand dollars before noon.

If you contact the police, the photographs will be sent to your children, your neighbors and all the people on your contact list.

At the bottom was a bank account number.

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Twenty-five thousand dollars represented almost all the money Richard had left in my emergency savings.

For several minutes I sat on the edge of the  bed of   hotel, unable to move.

The room still retained the slight scent of Julian's colony.

Just a few hours before, that smell had made me feel safe.

Now it caused me nausea.

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I looked at the  photos.

There was nothing explicit about them.