Riley's POV
I woke before the sun, not from nightmares but from the silence that had settled like a stone in my chest, the kind that comes when you stop hoping for peace.
I padded barefoot across the cool marble floor, opened my inbox without thinking. I expected press junk, backlash, maybe an apology or two.
But what I didn’t expect is an anonymous email. With no subject or signature. Just a single line: "This is where it started."
Below it? An audio file was attached to it. I plugged in my headphones, and pressed play.
The voices were distant, but the tone was unmistakable. They didn’t know they were being recorded.
It was the same unknown voice filled with contempt.
But she wasn’t alone. Another voice answered with a sharp feminine voice which was too familiar.
I felt a cold shi
