My sister called me at midnight and whispered, “Turn off every light. Go to the attic. Don’t tell your husband.” I thought she was losing her mind — until I looked through the floorboards….

My stomach sank.

Caleb’s jaw tightened. “How close?”

“Close enough that your wife’s sister may already know.”

My sister.

Mara.

I clutched my phone, praying it would light up again—and praying it wouldn’t make a sound.

Caleb picked up my laptop. “She never checks anything. Even if she saw something, she wouldn’t understand it.”

The stranger gave a quiet laugh. “You chose well.”

Caleb didn’t smile.

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” he said.

For a moment, I almost heard regret in his voice.

Then he added, “But the kid complicates things.”

My vision blurred.

Noah. Our four-year-old son, asleep miles away at Caleb’s parents’ house—or so I thought.

The stranger said, “Your parents are already moving him.”

I bit down on my knuckle so hard I tasted blood.

Caleb nodded. “Good. Once we cross into Canada, everything resets.”

The phone in my hand vibrated. I nearly screamed. A message from Mara appeared.

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