Rebecca POV

I don’t remember the drive to Victoria’s house. I only remember the pressure in my chest, the way my hands shook so badly I nearly dropped my keys twice, and the singular thought pounding through my skull like a warning bell—she is wrong, and she has to stop. By the time I pulled into Victoria’s gated driveway, my fear had curdled into something sharper. Urgency. Desperation. Resolve.

The front door opened before I could knock, as if she’d sensed my presence like a ...