(Kieran)
Monday morning I woke up at five thirty.
I'd barely slept. My mind kept going back to yesterday. To Sloane. To the way she'd smiled at me when I showed up at her door.
We'd spent the afternoon together. Just talking. Watching a movie. Being together without any of the drama that had been hanging over us for weeks.
It felt good. Normal. Like we were finally starting something real.
I got up and made coffee. Sat at the kitchen table looking out at the lake.
My phone rang. Julian.
I answered. "Julian. It's early."
"I know. But I wanted to catch you before you left for work."
"What's going on?"
"The story's dead. The site owner took your money and killed it."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "You're sure?"
"Positive. I checked this morning. The article isn't
