LOGINEric sat in his apartment and stared at the envelope on the table.It had arrived that morning. A process server had knocked on his door. He had signed for it without thinking. Now he wished he hadn't.The envelope was open. The papers were spread across the table. Divorce petition. Grounds: adultery. Cruelty. Evidence attached.She had done it. Amanda had actually filed.---His hands were shaking.He picked up the papers. He read them again. Then again. Each word felt like a knife. Each sentence felt like a slap.She was leaving him. She was actually leaving him. And she was doing it publicly. She was making him look like the villain.He crumpled the papers in his fist."She thinks she can do this to me?"---He grabbed his phone.He scrolled through his contacts. He found Katie's number. He pressed call. It rang twice before she answered."Eric? What do you want?"Her voice was cold. Distant. She had been like that since the funeral. Since Ivy died. Since everything fell apart."I
Amanda's hands were still shaking when she got in the car.She gripped the wheel until her knuckles turned white. The meeting with David was over. The divorce papers were filed. The protective order was in motion. But Eric's words were still echoing in her mind.You belong to me.She closed her eyes. She took a breath. She needed to go home. She needed to rest. She needed to forget.But something stopped her.{Warning.}A.R.I.S. spoke quietly in her mind.The word cut through her thoughts like a blade. Amanda's breath caught. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She knew that tone. Something was wrong."What?" she whispered.{Threat detected.}She waited. Her hands tightened on the wheel. Her eyes stayed fixed on the dashboard.{Analyzing.}The seconds stretched like hours.{Threat: Theft.}Amanda frowned. "Theft?"{Probability: High. Timeframe: Within 72 hours.}Her blood ran cold. Someone was going to rob her. Someone was going to break into her fortress and take everything she had b
"I want to file for divorce."Amanda's voice was steady. She sat across from David in his office. Her hands were folded in her lap. Her back was straight.David looked up from his desk. He was a thin man with gray hair and kind eyes. He had been her lawyer for years."Are you sure?" he asked."I've never been more sure of anything."David nodded. He opened a drawer and pulled out a thick folder. He set it on the desk between them. He opened it. Pages and pages of documents."Divorce is a process," he said. "It's not quick. It's not easy and it's not cheap.""I don't care about the cost.""You should." David looked at her. "Eric is going to fight this. He's going to make it as difficult as possible.""I know.""Then let's talk about what we're dealing with."David pulled out a blank form. "This is a petition for divorce," he said. "It's the first step. We file this with the court. We state the grounds for divorce.""What are the grounds?" Amanda asked."Adultery, cruelty, desertion. Th
"I was drugged. I was set up and I need your help."Raymond's voice cracked on the last word. The desk sergeant looked up from his computer. He was a large man with tired eyes and a bored expression that suggested he had heard everything."What kind of help?""I need to report a crime. Assault and drugging. Maybe false imprisonment."The sergeant's eyebrows rose. He set down his pen. "That's serious. Take a seat. Someone will be with you."Raymond nodded. He walked to the waiting area. The chairs were hard plastic and uncomfortable. He sat down and stared at the wall.The lobby was bright and cold. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead. The kind of lights that made everything look gray and lifeless. People came and went through the heavy glass doors.A woman crying, a man in handcuffs. A teenager arguing with his mother. Nobody looked at Raymond. Nobody asked if he was okay.He pulled out his phone. No messages. No calls from Amanda—she still hadn't responded.He put the phone away. An h
Raymond parked across the street and stared at the building. It was quiet. The kind of place where people went when they didn't want to be seen. The windows were tinted. The sign was understated. Nothing about it screamed for attention. That was the point, he supposed. He got out of the car. His legs felt heavy. His head was still pounding. He hadn't slept. He couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined Amanda's disappointment. The way she thought of him now. He walked across the street. His footsteps echoed on the pavement. The morning air was cold. Too cold for this time of year. He pulled his jacket tighter and pushed through the hotel doors. The lobby was empty. A man stood behind the front desk. An older man with gray hair. He looked up when Raymond entered. "Good morning. Can I help you?" "I need to speak to the manager." "I'm the manager. My name is Marcus." He studied Raymond. "What can I do for you?" Raymond took a breath. "I was here two nights ago. With a wo
"You deceived me and sent her my half naked pictures?" Raymond's voice was thunder. He stood in the doorway of Katie's apartment. His chest was heaving. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.Katie looked up from the couch. She was holding Ivy's blanket. Her eyes were red from crying but when she saw Raymond's face, something shifted. Something cold."What are you talking about?""Don't play dumb with me." Raymond stepped inside. He didn't close the door. He didn't care who heard. "The pictures. The ones you sent to Amanda. What nonsense is that?"Katie set the blanket down slowly. She stood up. Her movements were calm and deliberate."I don't know what you mean.""You know exactly what I mean." Raymond's voice cracked. "You sent her pictures of us. In a hotel room. What are you trying to achieve? What are you trying to prove?"Katie tilted her head. "Us?""Yes. Us. You and me. In that room.""I didn't just send pictures, Raymond." Katie's voice was soft and innocent. "You w







