Chapter 1: The First Night Turns Cold
The room felt smaller after the call.
Sophia’s fingers trembled in mine, her skin ice-cold despite the warmth of the suite. Downstairs, laughter still echoed faintly, glasses clinking, music drifting up like a cruel reminder that the world hadn’t stopped—but ours had.
Mason Fletcher set his whiskey glass down with deliberate calm.
“You’re overreacting,” he said smoothly. “New husbands tend to be… dramatic.”
I stepped forward, placing myself between him and Sophia.
“Stay exactly where you are.”
He chuckled. “Or what?”
Before I could answer, footsteps thundered down the hallway. The door burst open, and Karen Whitmore stepped inside—sharp suit, sharper eyes, and a badge clipped to her belt.
Behind her came two uniformed officers.
Mason’s smile cracked.
“Well,” he muttered, “that was fast.”
Karen didn’t waste a second. “Mason Fletcher, you’re not under arrest—yet. But you’re not leaving.”
Sophia’s grip tightened on my arm.
“This is where it starts,” I whispered to her.
May you like
But deep down, I knew—
This was only the surface.
