My wife has been peeking at me from around corners and behind furniture. It's gone from weird to terrifying

It started innocently enough. <br><br>My wife and I were leaving her parents' house when I stopped and hugged my mom; pretty standard. As I'm hugging her, I'm peeking back over my shoulder, expecting to see my wife standing where she was just a moment before, and she wasn't. I looked over at my wife, trying to read her body language, and her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes were fixed on the spot on the wall where my mother had just stood. <br><br>I felt a cold, tingling sensation run down my spine. I knew that if I asked her what was wrong, she would just deny it and try to change the subject. My wife doesn't do confrontation or emotional outbursts. She just straight up denies anything that makes her "uneasy" or "uncomfortable". In front of her parents, I knew that's what I would get if I mentioned it, and if I asked later on when we were alone, she would deny it then too. <br><br>That is why, as we were walking to the car, I did something that wasn't entirely fair, but I did it anyway. I turned to her and said, "You shouldn't have peeked, so now you have to stay in the back seat until I tap the hood." That's exactly what she got. She looked angry in the back seat, but by the time we got home she wasn't. She had won.<br><br>We've played this game since I was eight years old. Whenever my grandfather would visit, I would always try and sneak a peek at him when he wasn't looking. My parents used to let me get away with it too because I would always stop when they told me to, but my wife is different. Ever since that first day at her parents' house she has made it her personal mission to "peek" at me whenever she felt like it. <br><br>The first time it happened, we had just recently started dating. I had just turned 21 and was out to dinner with her and her parents to celebrate. At one point, her mom got up from the table to call for our server and as soon as she turned her back I made a break for the rest room, but my wife saw me. She tried to hide her laughing but it was too obvious, so I got angry. After the meal I pulled her aside and said, "Next time you'll lose."<br><br>She didn't take it the way I expected. Instead of being angry, she thought it was a game. She "peeked" at me more than anyone else ever had. I would have to touch her just to be sure she was real. I would have to look over my shoulder to make sure she was following me. I'd turn around to talk to her and she'd be gone. Once I was looking down at the floor, she circled around me and was behind me. I would speak to her on the phone and hear her voice, then for a minute she'd pause and I'd wonder if I was imagining things or if she had actually gotten up to do something. <br><br>At first it was fun and then it became annoying, and most recently it's been downright terrifying. <br><br>The first sign of trouble happened on our third anniversary. I had just gotten us tickets to see our favorite singer, her favorite color Christmas ornaments were up, and I had set up the tiny bottle of champagne she loves. She was supposed to meet me at my house at five, I was picking her up at three, and by four I was calling her to see where she was and what was taking her so long. <br><br>I got no answer. <br><br>"Hey. Hey, I'm getting worried. I know you don't like to be contacted when you're at work, but it's been over an hour since you were supposed to close and you always text me when you're about to leave. Something is going on, and I can't shake the feeling that you're hurt."<br><br>Still, no answer. I tried again at six, and her mother finally picked up. She told me not to worry because she had taken my wife out to dinner and the show. I was confused. <br><br>"My wife invited me over at nine this morning. I didn't think it was a problem."<br><br>"No, no, no. I didn't know. She just...she's not here."<br><br>I was getting angry. "Did you lie to me? Did you tell her I was coming so she could get away from me?"<br><br>"I didn't lie, I told the truth. Your wife is here. She never left."<br><br>I was confused. "Then where is she?"<br><br>"I don't know."<br><br>We talked some more, and it turned out that my wife had been at work all day. She had come home, and my wife "peeked" at me by telling her mom what I had planned for our anniversary. From there, her mom "peeked" by convincing my wife to go out for dinner and the show without me. <br><br>I was done playing around. I told her mom that she needed to come over so we could talk to each other. My wife was angry when I hung up the phone and told her that her mother was coming over, but she wasn't angry about what her mother did. No, she was mad that I had answered the phone. I had to explain to her, several times and in several ways, that her mom had lied to me and that I wasn't going to let it go without a conversation.<br><br>When her mother arrived, she tried to apologize but I told her to stay out of it. My wife tried to make up an excuse as to why I shouldn't be there, but I was firm. This had to be resolved. We were sitting on the couch, her mom on the arm chair across from us, when my wife finally looked me in the eye and said, "I'm not going to stop."<br><br>I thought she was going to agree to not...whatever the heck it was she did, but instead she smiled at me. "I'm not going to stop peeking."<br><br>My jaw dropped as I turned to her mother and asked, "What is wrong with her?"<br><br>My wife's mother looked uncomfortable as she shifted her weight in her seat, "Dear, you have to understand that your wife doesn't take things seriously. She doesn't mean any harm by this."<br><br>I turned back to my wife and said, "You don't take this seriously?"<br><br>She shrugged. "It's just a game, I'm not hurting you. It's just harmless fun."<br><br>"Harmless fun?" I stood up, my anger growing. "You've been poking fun at me for the past few weeks, lying to me, and you call that harmless fun?"<br><br>"Harmless, no harm, they mean the same thing. I'm not doing anything to hurt you."<br><br>I sat back down and rubbed my temples, trying to calm myself down. "How can you not take this seriously? You saw me try to make sure you were real just a minute ago."<br><br>She shrugged again. "You touch me, all the time."<br><br>I stood up again. "That isn't the point! The point is you're playing a stupid game and expecting me to take it seriously. Well, I'm not. I'm done."<br><br>I turned my attention to her mother. "I'm done. This has gone too far, and if you encourage her then there will be serious consequences. Do you understand me? I am serious."<br><br>My wife's mother looked scared and I knew that she understood. "I didn't mean to, dear. She's my only child."<br><br>I looked back at my wife. She was pouting. At that, I lost it. I grabbed my things and left. I went to a friend's house and called a cab, neither of us were in the right mind set to talk after that, plus, I didn't want to yell at her through the walls she shared with her mother. <br><br>That night, I stayed at my friend's house and she went back to our house. She texted me that the cats were still in their cage and the alarm wasn't set. She tried calling me several times. Once from across the street, once from right outside my friend's door, and finally once from right outside my friend's window while he was in bed. <br><br>I didn't answer.<br><br>In the morning I received pictures of me sleeping. Pictures of me going for a run. Pictures of me doing my grocery shopping. All taken from outside where the camera can see. <br><br>I broke up with her that day. I told her I wasn't going to bother calling her back, that she could find someone better than me who would play along with her stupid little game. <br><br>She didn't take it well. She started screaming outside my window until the cops showed up. She tried to explain to them that I was peeking at her, that I was the one who had to stop. They made her go inside, and I know that's when she started breaking things. <br><br>I got a call from her mom the next day. "Did you lock your office?"<br><br>"I locked it at the beginning of the semester."<br><br>"I'm sorry, dear."<br><br>"For what?"<br><br>"She's flunking all her classes."<br><br>I paused. "That isn't your fault."<br><br>"I know. But she's...she's staying in the office at night. And she...she's acting out a lot when she comes out in the morning. I was hoping if she stopped flunking, things would get better."<br><br>I took a deep breath before asking, "Do you know where she is right now?"<br><br>"I haven't seen her since...wait, I think she just walked past the window of the office."<br><br>I hung up. I called the university and got my key from the campus police department. I went to my office and...it was a