(Karen’s POV – Present Tense)

Sleep doesn’t come that night.

It dances just out of reach, teasing me with fragments of peace before vanishing again.

Every time I close my eyes, I see that message.

Don’t dig too deep, Karen.

It repeats in my mind, over and over, like a lullaby made of warnings.

But I can’t stop.

I have to know.

Because every secret I’ve uncovered has rewritten the story of my life — and this one feels like the final chapter.

By morning, Dre is gone. I find a ...