Rachel, sensing that something was off, immediately called Gia. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked, concern etched in her voice.

The text came in at 11:47 PM.

Nothing.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Gia typed. "Just had a long day at work and needed some downtime. Sorry I haven't been responding to your texts."

The apartment was silent, save for the hum of the refrigerator. Gia Paige sat on the edge of the couch, staring at a phone screen that had gone dark minutes ago. The reflection in the glass showed eyes that looked tired—worn down by a year that had been too long and a month that had been too loud.