Chapter 1: The Red Light Blinking
The sirens grew louder.
At first distant—just another city sound swallowed by Chicago’s restless night—but then unmistakable. Urgent. Closing in.
For the first time since the chaos began, Preston’s expression faltered.
“What did you just say?” he asked, his voice lower now.
I didn’t answer him.
My eyes were fixed on the small black dome above the ballroom doors. That tiny blinking red light suddenly felt louder than anything in the room.
Recording.
Watching.
Remembering.
A hotel manager pushed through the stunned crowd, flanked by two security guards. His face was pale, his smile gone.
“Ma’am,” he said carefully, glancing at Sophie in my arms. “Paramedics are on the way. We need to clear space.”
“No,” my mother snapped. “This is a private event.”
The manager didn’t even look at her.
“This is now a legal matter.”
That word—legal—hit my father harder than anything else that night.
He stepped forward immediately. “Let’s not escalate this,” he said, smooth and controlled. “We can resolve—”
“You’re right,” I cut in.
Everyone turned to me.
“We can resolve this,” I said calmly. “By pulling the footage.”
Silence.
Preston laughed—but it came out wrong. Too fast. Too sharp.
“There’s no need for that,” he said. “We already know what happened.”
“No,” I said. “You told everyone what happened.”
I shifted Sophie gently as she whimpered, her fingers tightening in my sleeve.
“Now let’s see what actually did.”
May you like
And for the first time in his life—
My brother looked afraid.
