Chapter 1

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the quiet suburban street as my sleek black jeep pulled into the driveway.

The engine purred to a stop, the only sound breaking the stillness. I exhaled sharply, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel for a brief moment before I reached for the grocery bags in the passenger seat.

My day was the same: Pilates class, the errands, the endless mental checklist of things to do; sometimes it pressed down on my shoulders, but I ...