Chapter 1: The Name on the Screen
I stared at the front door long after they left, turning over Ashley's words in my mind.
*She'd rather DIE in this house.* I had heard cruelty before, but that sentence carried something different inside it — something cold and practiced, as though she had already rehearsed it.
Three days passed without a single call from Daniel.
On Sunday, I decided not to wait any longer.
I phoned him myself and suggested brunch.
Something in my voice must have surprised him, because he agreed without argument.
He even said Ashley would come.
I told him that was fine.
I set the table carefully that morning.
Good plates, fresh flowers, the coffee already brewing.
I wanted everything calm.
I wanted to think clearly.
They arrived at eleven.
Ashley wore sunglasses indoors and barely glanced at me when she sat down.
Daniel kissed my cheek and said the house smelled nice.
I thanked him and poured the coffee.
We were halfway through the meal when Ashley's phone slid from her jacket pocket and landed face-up on the table.
I was not trying to read it.
But the screen was bright, and the message preview was long, and my eyes are still sharp.
The name at the top of the message was not a person I recognized.
It was the name of a law firm.
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**What did that message say — and how long has Ashley been planning this?**
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