(Karen’s POV – Present Tense)

It starts with a ping.

Then another.

Then hundreds.

By the time I wake up, my phone is vibrating like it’s alive. Notifications flooding in faster than I can swipe them away — messages, calls, alerts. My chest tightens before I even look.

Dre’s already standing by the window, his phone pressed to his ear. His voice is sharp, clipped. “No comment. I said no comment! Anything beyond that will come through legal.”

I sit up slowly. “What’s going ...