Her mother’s car pulled out of the driveway at 6:14 in the morning.

The house went still. No voices. No footsteps upstairs. Just the low hum of the air conditioning and the thick summer heat already pressing against the windows. Chloe stood in the kitchen in an oversized t-shirt and nothing underneath, listening to the silence settle.

Nathan came up behind her before she even heard him.

One arm wrapped around her waist, the other shoved straight under the shirt and cupped her bare breast, squeezing the soft heavy flesh like he had been waiting all night for the right to do it. His mouth landed on the side of...