I didn’t really sleep. I closed my eyes, sure, but the second I did that wedding photo showed up again—the one I’d grabbed from Adrian’s safe with the forged documents. In it, we looked like some picture-perfect couple who belonged on the cover of a magazine. Both of us smiling, both of us glowing. Except lying there in the dark, I couldn’t tell if those smiles had ever been real, or if even then we were already just playing parts. Pretending.
At seven on the dot, my phone buzzed. A text from Charles Brennan.
I trust you had a productive evening. Looking forward to our discussion today. Your father sends his regards.
My stomach knotted. Just those three words—your father sends his regards. He didn’t even need to spell it out. I knew exactly what they meant. My dad’s life was tied to my
