Tamara sat cross-legged on the living-room floor, back against the sofa, laptop balanced on her knees. The screen cast pale blue light over her face. She was scrolling through photos she had taken discreetly over the past weeks—Ethan and Aria leaving restaurants, walking hand in hand, laughing at something private.
One image showed them in the parking garage beneath his building, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her toward the elevator. Another captured Aria alone at a café table, staring at her phone with a small, private smile.
Tamara’s thumb hovered over the delete key, then moved away.
Her own phone buzzed on the coffee table. The screen lit up with Brandon’s name. She let it ring twice before she answered, putting it on speaker so she could keep scrolling.
“You’re u
