After confirming our relationship, I rarely looked at electronic devices.

I returned to my old profession, architecture, which I had studied in college. My passion for it was matched by my mother’s desire for me to succeed.

In the time I spent abroad, I thrived, and my reputation grew.

Friends occasionally called from home to check in, but more often, it was relatives who, upon learning of my success, were eager to get their hands on some of my money.

I blocked them one by one until only Ethan and my business partners contacts remained.

When Gene Wells called, I was surprised.

A year had passed—it wasn’t short, but it...