The video caught Michael a few feet away. He froze. The plastic flute slipped from his hand and shattered on the tile. He stared at Robert, then Khloe, then down at the child — the exact second his illusion came apart.

The fuse had reached the dynamite.

Chapter 6 — The House of Cards

The explosion, when it came, was big enough to rattle the South Tower.

It happened on a rainy Thursday night — the same kind of night as the one when I’d found them out. Pam’s texts came in a frantic run, like dispatches from a war zone.

Sarah. It’s over. Michael got the DNA results. He just kicked the door in. The screaming is echoing down the elevator shaft.

I sat alone in my dark apartment, my face lit by the phone.