Riele sat on the edge of the bed in her hotel room, bathed in the soft glow of the city lights filtering through the sheer curtains. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She picked it up, expecting a text from Jay or Kim, but her chest tightened when she saw Charlotte's name.

She answered quickly. "Charlotte?"

There was a silence. Not the ordinary kind, but the kind that precedes something you never want to hear.

"Rie..." Charlotte's voice cracked.

Riele stood up slowly, her ...