ALIANA

I know something is up the moment I wake up.

Not bad wrong.

Suspicious wrong.

Michael isn’t beside me.

Michael Hamilton does not wake up before me unless one of three things is happening:

The world is ending

He has a court case

He’s planning something he knows I would never approve of but he does it anyway while I'm still worn out from yesterday.

Today is my birthday.

I stare at the ceiling.

“Planning something,” I whisper.

I slide out of bed quietly and pad toward the bathroom, only to hear his voice down the hall, low and hurried.

“…no, hide the cake. HIDE the cake. Why would...