I sat at the dining table, my fork hovering over the plate Harlan had swapped for me, the food perfectly suited to my tastes—steak, mashed potatoes, avocado, and veggies swirled with coconut cream sauce. It was a small gesture, but it felt like a lifeline, a reminder of how well he knew me. Yet, as I stared at the chaos unfolding before me, it was like watching a horror movie come to life.
I was utterly bemused. No—bemused was too light a word. It felt like I had been dropped into a simulation without warning, the kind where the polite suburban façade cracks open to reveal something monstrous living just beneath the skin.
Laura Ford. Perfect hair, impeccable posture, a voice like velvet dipped in silk. I had always thought of her as intimidating, sure, but refined. Tonight, though, that
