Chapter 4

I couldn't remember when I last slept through the night. Three days? Four? The digital clock on my nightstand glowed 3:17 AM, its red numbers burning into my retinas as I stared at the ceiling. Beside me, Ferdinand slept peacefully, his breathing deep and even, completely unaware—or uncaring—of my internal collapse.

My body felt foreign to me now. My hands trembled when I reached for my coffee mug. Food tasted like ash. The weight I'd lost in just a week had left my clothes hanging loose, something Olivia had noticed yesterday at the quarterly review meeting.

"Margot, are you feeling…