On the table she left just two things: a copy of the police complaint and her silver wedding ring.

At 6:43 in the evening, the lock clicked.

Derek came in with Suzanne behind him, both of them talking loudly and laughing, certain they’d find Skylar defeated. But the moment he crossed the threshold, he froze.

Because what was missing wasn’t just his things. It was everything he thought he controlled.

PART 2

Suzanne was the first to react to the scene. She had dark sunglasses perched on her head, long acrylic nails, and an expensive leather handbag Skylar recognized immediately—because she herself had paid for it a year earlier.

Suzanne glanced at the boxes stacked by the entrance, then at the two police officers, and finally at Skylar’s bandaged face. Instead of being frightened, she looked outright indignant.