The anonymous message arrived while I was still deciding whether to leave the hostel at all.
I had been sitting on the edge of the bed for twenty minutes with my boots already laced, staring at the dark screen of my phone like it might offer a reason to stay inside. The conversation with Daniel at the diner still sat in my chest like spoiled food. I had told him I was trying to forgive him. I had sat across from him and opened the door a c***k and listened to the version of the story that still made my stomach turn. And the only thing that had become clearer was how little of the original break had actually healed.
My phone buzzed once.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it. Then the preview line appeared and my thumb moved before my mind could catch up.
*Room 412. Hotel Ashford. He’s t
