Chapter 5

I stood before my laptop, fingers hovering over the keyboard as the glow of the screen illuminated my face in the darkness of our home office. It was 3 AM—the only time I could be certain that Marcus was deeply asleep, drugged by the expensive scotch he'd consumed before bed. My heart ha

Chapter 6

I stood in the dimly lit bedroom, watching Marcus's chest rise and fall in the peaceful rhythm of sleep. How strange that he could rest so easily while my world was crumbling around me. The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting silver shadows across his face – a face I had onc

Chapter 7

I watched Marcus's downfall from afar, like observing a shipwreck through a telescope. Not close enough to be pulled under by the current, but near enough to witness every excruciating detail.

My new identity as Elena Cross fit me like a second skin now. The initial fear of being discov