began to fall apart did n

shouting. No d

me qu

her phone lit up

ight before, the kind of crying that left you empty instead of relieved. For a moment, she just star

tinct to

hed for

rt of her still hop

was

al notification s

sign-ins

ard it felt like it sl

up ins

cation followe

nts. Encrypted locations.

. Her hands were already shaking, but she b

ispered. "No

stem error. This

ow when someone is standing behin

s inten

ork. The room seemed to tilt, the walls pressin

op herself, a single na

ic La

his voice had been calm, controlled, almost polite.

lem. And probl

small apartment. Back and forth. Back and forth.

d me, sh

e I would

I wasn't sa

en loudly. Men like him didn't yell.

y a

ware of how small her life

o lived on schedules and budgets and routines because chaos terrified her. Someone

being stripped aw

Panic crept higher, s

BANG

so hard her phone nearl

" a familiar voice yelled. "I know you're in

econd, then pressed

i

Her anchor. Her e

o the door and

der, messy bun clearly thrown together without a mirror

pened?" L

peak. Tried again

he held ou

hardened with every line she read. The j

s..." Liv

t, something insi

couch and pushed her down. "O

trembling. "It has to be him. Ryan'

reaten you... or did he

her. "Is that r

him?" Liv said

e with her hands. Liv

al weight of it. The confrontation at the condo. How she had le

upt. She didn't j

st lis

Liv leaned back and si

xactly why I tell you to stay

s no

ly. "Not because he's cruel.

et w

appened to my br

's hea

y spoke a

ou don't

ne blindly. Someone with a messy, danger

ied in a car he shouldn't have been in,

swallow

ckless," Liv said

pa

that kind of

couldn'

aid quickly. "But his family? Their

d protect me," J

Do you really believe

anted to

coul

"You deserve a life th

rned. "I don't k

d softly. "You ju

, Juliet knew

minic proved he

's job, anonymous concerns

hip portal flagge

ail from an u

him if you wan

t fel

e Juliet cried silently, feel

across the street, Dom

essed. Press

came imm

her away

st of the day prete

d when spoken to, nodded when necessary. But

ous tip arrive

down her computer, he

her near t

ou're about to f

e," Juli

uttered. "And

tor, Juliet

eone's tryin

her expressi

. "And if it started after R

t fel

accusing her of sleeping her way

g home," she

ly through tears as

, she knew

n't warning

s att

as only th