EMILY'S POV
That night, I dreamed of Rudy.
We were teenagers again, sitting on the old bench in the Cortez gardens. He was showing me something on his phone, his shoulder warm against mine.
In the dream he turned to look at me, his brown eyes were soft, full of something I hadn't recognized then but understood now.
"Emily!" He said. "I need to tell you something."
But before he could speak, I woke up.
My room was dark and silent. The engagement ring glittered on my nightstand, catching the faint moonlight. I stared at it for a long time.
Then I reached for my phone and scrolled through my messages. Rudy's name sat near the bottom, our last conversation weeks ago.
I need to talk about something important. The money trail… it's leading somewhere dangerous. Can we meet?
My reply: Not
