Chapter 5

Forty-eight hours after Ethan made the internet watch him throw me out, I walked back into LAST LIGHT with his signature in my hand.

The café smelled the same—coffee, cinnamon, and the cedar shelves I had stained myself.

But my photograph was gone.

In its place hung a gold sign:

ETHAN AND MADISON: THE VISION BEHIND LAST LIGHT

Madison stood beneath it, livestreaming in my blue blazer.

The moment she saw me, her smile sharpened.

“Claire has returned,” she told the camera, “and she’s attempting to remove more company property.”

Every conversation in the café stopped.

Sophie stepped in behind…