TESSA'S POV

The air crackled with a tension thicker than ever seen as we ventured deeper into the woods. Adrian, Giselle, and her son, Derek, walked ahead, their voices carrying on in animated conversation. Derek, a scrawny ten-year-old with a chip on his shoulder, mirrored his mother's arrogance in every gesture. He seemed like a pretty nice kid but he still had some characteristics of Giselle in how he behaved sometimes.

Every few minutes, Giselle would throw her head back and laugh, a sound that grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. The sight of her hand brushing against Adrian's arm sent a jolt of jealousy through me,...