Chapter 1

The official notice said Ethan Vance, my husband, co-owner of our bakery "The Daily Rise," was presumed drowned.

He went kayaking alone on the Serpent River, deep in the national park.

They searched for weeks.

Nothing.

The park ranger' s voice was kind, but firm, "We've done all we can, Mrs. Vance. I'm so sorry."

I just nodded.

My throat was too tight to speak.

Portland felt gray, even in summer. The bakery, our dream, felt like a tomb.

Maya, my best friend, tried. She brought food I didn' t eat, talked when I couldn' t listen.

"Ava, you need to live," she' d say.

I didn't know how.

Three months passed. Three months of a hollow ache in my chest.

Maya bought tickets to a music festival in New Orleans.

"A change of scene, Ava. Please. For me."

I went. For her.

The music was loud, a chaotic pulse. I felt nothing.

Maya dragged me to a VIP party after the main set. Too many people, too much noise.

I wanted to leave.

Then I saw him.

Ethan.

He was across the crowded tent, laughing. His arm was around Chloe Hayes. His "childhood best friend."

Chloe, the flashy influencer, always a little too close.

Ethan looked vibrant, healthy. Not like a man who' d fought a treacherous river.

He was holding a champagne flute, gesturing wildly.

I moved closer, a strange coldness spreading through me.

"...escaped the grind," I heard Ethan brag to a small group. "Chloe' s genius plan, honestly."

Chloe preened, her laugh shrill.

"Give it another week," Ethan continued, his voice smug. "Ava will have really hit rock bottom. She' ll be grateful for anything when I 'miraculously' return."

His words hit me. Harder than any wave.

Shattered didn't cover it. This was something else.

Something cold, and sharp, and new.