Cole collected the phone.Damn.Amanda’s uncle.No matter what happened, this man could not know anything. So Cole did what he had perfected over the years—he wore a calm and polite face. “I’ll be in a sec,” he called to the other two as he stepped outside and answered the call.“Where the hell have you been all day?” the man snapped immediately. “If you dare change your mind and tell grandma about it, you’ll be so done!”“Good evening, sir,” Cole said calmly.Silence.Then—“Who the hell is this?”Another pause, heavier this time. Suspicion creeping in.“What are you doing with Amanda’s phone?”“She’s taking a nap.”“She’s—” the uncle scoffed, the sound sharp and disbelieving, like even he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “What did you say she’s doing?”“You heard me the first time,” Cole replied evenly. “She’ll call you when she wakes up.”“…Is this Cole?” the uncle demanded. “You’re talking to me like this?”Cole’s mouth twitched. Not a smile. Something colder.“We don’t have

Cole raised a brow, slow and controlled.“Why are you still standing here?” Amanda scoffed. “Go on. Go meet her. Or has she already told you she’s done?” She laughed, brittle. “By the time you finally realize she’s fake, you won’t find me. I’d have moved on.”“Amanda,” Cole said, voice steady but strained, “do you realize that’s not what we should be talking about right now?”“What should we be talking about?” She smiled, fake-tired, fake-proud. “Oh—right. How I risked my life to save you.”“Who the hell asked you to do that?” Cole snapped, the cold finally breaking through. “Didn’t I warn you enough?”“At least I’m back,” she shot back. “I’m here.”“Yeah,” he said quietly, “and you don’t even know how you got here. Or what really happened.”“That’s why we should be talking about whether you’re going to leave and never come back,” she said sharply, “or you’re going to stop seeing that woman.”“I think you should rest,” Cole said, his voice suddenly too calm. “I need to go… out.”That

Amanda glanced around the building one more time.It was a really nice house. Too nice. But that wasn’t what bothered her.What bothered her was the man sitting opposite her.She had called Wright’s number seconds ago. Wright’s number. Yet this was the man who answered—and now he was here, relaxed, legs crossed, watching her like she was something he had already figured out.He hadn’t even offered her water.Oddly, that didn’t bother her either.If Wright was the kind of man who mysteriously changed forms, then fine. She didn’t care. She just needed this handled.“So,” she said, clearing her throat, “since you’re Wright, I guess you already know me? I’m Amanda—”“Amanda Whitmore,” the man cut in smoothly. “I follow you online. Pretty impressive fan base. I must say, I’m impressed.”Her brows knit slightly.For some reason, he looked… familiar. Not in a personal way. More like the kind of face you’d see on billboards or late-night screens.“Since you already know me, that’s fine,” she

Amanda cussed under her breath and kept driving.“I promise you, I’m the only one seeing this clearly right now,” she said. “Because I’m not part of the matrix. I can see everything. I’ve always known that woman had something up her sleeve. I just never thought Dre would be in on it too.”She inhaled sharply. “You just have to cooperate with me, Cole. I promise you—I’ve got this.”Cole said nothing.You don’t argue when your wife is like this. You don’t correct, you don’t interrupt, because she hasn’t left you room to explain anything since the moment chaos entered their lives. Every sentence already has a conclusion waiting at the end of it.Instead of driving straight to Dora’s place—and walking into another interrogation—he quietly called Bella and asked to meet at a restaurant.Amanda didn’t question it.Minutes later, they were seated. Neutral space. Public. Safe.The waiter came, they ordered snacks they barely touched.Amanda studied him for a moment. “Are you okay?”Cole looke

“Hey,” Cole waved, then crouched beside him. “You okay?” He rubbed its head. Damn—he hadn’t eaten all day.“Let’s get you some food.” He hurried inside, Billy following closely, tail wagging.Some minutes later, Cole watched Billy devour his meal, rubbing the dog’s head absentmindedly. He’d gotten this dog from his mother when he married Amanda—a “funny” gift, she had said, but insisted he raise it. Amanda had been pissed at first, but she’d drawn the line when her parents suggested selling it.Cole shook his head, thinking how weird Amanda had always been. Funny how, when you’re broke and struggling, you never notice all the quirks that make someone extraordinary…because offending them was never an option.“Cole,” Amanda called.“I have to go, Billy,” he muttered, patting the dog one last time before heading inside.No clue how many minutes had passed outside, but Amanda had somehow transformed the room. Lights, soft music from a hidden speaker—it was like stepping into a club.“Aman