At an outdoor market with my boyfriend, Mateo, a jittery young woman handed me a sanitary pad, whispering, “You need this.” I wasn’t on my period, and inside the pad, written in shaky red ink, were the words “Help me.” She vanished before I could ask more. Uneasy, I hid it from Mateo, who’d been acting controlling lately. At his apartment, I studied the frantic writing—it looked like blood. Google suggested calling the police, but with no details, I hesitated.
The next day, I returned to the market and learned about a nearby shelter. There, the desk worker, Tasya, recognized the handwriting. The woman, Reina, revealed she’d dated Mateo, who turned charming into threatening, trapping her with blackmail. She thought I seemed “stuck” like her. Shaken, I noticed Mateo’s cold demeanor when I declined a lake trip.
I left Mateo, stayed with my cousin, and blocked his increasingly hostile texts. Monitoring his Instagram, I saw him with a new girl, Vivika. I warned her, connecting with Reina. Vivika eventually fled after Mateo tried to control her with a “contract.” We reported him, uncovering his pattern of abusing multiple women. He’s now facing charges. Listening to that uneasy feeling—and Reina’s plea—saved us.
