Alex lay in bed, eyes closed but mind restless. The digital clock on the nightstand glowed 3:00 AM. Suddenly, the piercing sound of a phone ringing shattered the silence, echoing off the walls like an alarm.

Alex jolted upright, heart racing. "Who could be calling at this hour?" He wondered, reaching for the phone. The caller ID was masked by a series of asterisks—untraceable.

With a hesitant swipe, Alex answered the call. A voice, familiar yet unidentifiable, whispered through the speaker, "I know your secret, Alex." The words were like icy tendrils creeping up his spine.

"Who is this?" Alex demanded, voice barely above a whisper. The voice chuckled, a sound that was both mocking and chilling. "Does it really matter? You know what you did."

Alex sat in the darkness, the words replaying in his mind. Memories long buried began to surface, each more haunting than the last. "I thought I'd left that behind," he muttered to himself.

Alex knew he had to confront this shadow from the past. The stakes were too high, and the mysterious caller was a threat he could no longer ignore. "It's time to face the truth," he decided, determination hardening his resolve as the first light of day crept into the room.