She had always dreamed of seeing a police archive “like in detective stories” — but the moment I took her there, everything changed. Marin threw herself at the files with a mad gleam in her eyes… and reality turned out to be far more terrifying than any novel.

We met by chance, and everything developed surprisingly fast — like a fairy tale. She worked in a bookstore and adored crime novels.

I thought that was why my job fascinated her so much: she constantly asked endless questions about investigations, police archives, old cases. To me, it seemed like a harmless curiosity, nothing more.

On her birthday, I was on duty and decided to surprise her — I invited her to my workplace to show her behind the scenes of the department. Marin was glowing with happiness: her dream seemed to come true. We walked through the corridors, I told her about the daily life of the police. But the highlight was the visit to the archive — the place she had always asked about.

I expected admiration in her eyes, but saw something else entirely. As soon as I opened the door, Marin rushed to the shelves, frantically rummaging through the folders, pulling out files. Her eyes shone with a wild light.

— Wait… what are you doing? — I asked, confused.

I stood there, unable to believe my eyes. Marin moved between the shelves, grabbing files as if searching for something specific. Suddenly, a cold sweat broke out: all this time, her “interest in my work” had been nothing but a mask.

Within minutes, she gave herself away. Among the old folders, Marin found one and clutched it tightly to her chest, as if her life depended on it.

Then everything became clear: there was a criminal trace in her past. She hadn’t come here out of curiosity — she was desperately trying to destroy the documents that could expose her.

I remembered our “accidental” meeting. Her too-quick attachment. The questions that sometimes seemed strange…

And I realized: there had been no coincidence. She had planned everything. My sympathy, my trust, my work pass — it had all been her key to the archive.

The world I lived and worked in suddenly turned upside down. The woman I thought was part of my life turned out to be a dangerous shadow from the past, willing to do anything to erase the traces of her sins.