Julia hadn't told anyone about the photo.
Not her sister. Not a friend. Not Daniel.
She'd spent the whole morning convincing herself it wasn't as serious as it felt at 2am. That's what the dark did — it made everything feel larger than it was. By daylight, with Nora eating cereal at the kitchen table and morning cartoons playing in the background, the anonymous text felt almost manageable.
Almost.
She was washing the breakfast dishes when the knock came.
Three firm knocks.
She knew that knock now.
She dried her hands slowly, took a breath, and opened the door.
Daniel stood in the hallway in a plain dark jacket, no tie, no entourage. Just him. He was holding a small paper bag and looking at her the way people looked at someone when they already knew something was wrong but hadn't de
