Chapter 4

The house settled into its nighttime quiet, but sleep wouldn't come. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my laptop warm against my legs. The glow from the screen cast strange shadows on the walls—shadows that seemed to mock the life I thought I'd built.

My fingers trembled as I typed Victoria Palmer's name into Instagram's search bar. Part of me wanted to slam the laptop shut, to preserve what little ignorance I had left. But I needed to know. Needed to see.

Her profile was private, but her cover photo showed enough—Michael's arm around a young woman who…