Scarred By a Simple Purchase

to myself, a silent acknowledg

m a small online boutique with a prete

hase' anyway. I' d worked hard for two years at the firm, sav

like a quiet celebratio

ber a day later. I checked it once, saw 'Label Created' , and thoug

usually ignore them, but this one was persistent, calling

?" a man' s voice aske

who is

ique." The name clicked. "You hav

used. "I'

was delivered and signed for this morning. Then, an hour later, I get a chargeback reque

ess for a second. "What? That' s not possible. I haven' t r

with his hostility. "I' ve dealt with your type before. You see a sma

I' m not trying to walk over anyone," I said, my voice tig

apartment complex who probably can' t even afford rent, let alone my

me based on nothing. Anger started to bubble up, hot and fast, pushing past the initial confusion. "

spat. "A leech. And you' r

had to be a misunderstanding. A glitch. I immediately pulled up the tr

SPS Awaiting Item.' It hadn't even been shipped. He was lying

rely. I took a screenshot, my mind racing. I needed to handle this calmly, prof

o confess?"

al USPS tracking right now. It says the item was never shipped. You created a labe

her end. I thought, for a moment, t

hink a little screenshot is going to stop me? I know who you are, Sarah Jenkins. I know where you work. I know

ne wen

nger from before. This wasn' t about a dress anymore. He

ing to do this to me. I grabbed my phone, my hands still trembling, but my purpose clear. I went into my call history, found his number, and looked at the call I had just ende

I felt. "Stop harassing me. The dress was never sent. If you con

"You do that. Call them. Tell them how you tried to st

ent, the threat hanging in the air. Then, I told myself he was just a voice on the phone. An internet troll who got my number. People l