Chapter 1

Michael' s chest swelled, a familiar pride warming him as he reread the email. Leo, state debate champion. Leo, accepted to Yale on a full scholarship. His son.

Leo worked so hard, juggling school, debate, and those after-school jobs-tutoring, the coffee shop, the library. All to help out, he' d said, to save for college things. Michael, a handyman doing odd jobs, knew what sacrifice looked like. He' d given up his own architect dreams years ago when Leo was small, so Jessica could focus on her corporate career. She was the breadwinner, he thought, with a demanding but probably not very high-paying job. That' s what she always told him.

The phone rang, shattering the quiet evening. An unknown number.

"Mr. Miller? Michael Miller?"

"Yes?"

"There's been an accident. A multi-car pile-up. Your son, Leo Miller, he was involved."

The world tilted. The hospital, the sterile smell, the hushed voices. Leo was in the ICU. Critical.

Michael fumbled for his phone, his hands shaking too badly. Jessica. He had to call Jessica. She needed to be here.

Voicemail. Again. And again.

He dialed, redialed, over a hundred times. Each ringout a fresh stab of panic.

A nurse touched his arm gently. "Mr. Miller, you can go in for a moment."

Leo' s face was pale, machines beeping around him. His eyes fluttered open, finding Michael.

A whisper, so faint. "Dad... I wish Mom... could have seen me win state..."

Then his eyes closed. The beeping changed.

Hours later, or maybe minutes, Michael didn' t know. He was numb. Jessica hadn't answered. Not once.

He remembered the "Find My Phone" app they' d installed. For emergencies. This was an emergency.

He tapped, waited. Her phone pinged. Miami. A marina.

What was she doing in Miami? Her "work conference" was supposed to be in Chicago.

Meanwhile, miles away, under the Miami moon, music pulsed from a massive yacht.

Jessica laughed, champagne flute in hand. David, her childhood friend, stood beside her, his arm around his son, Ryan.

"To Ryan!" David announced, his voice amplified. "College-bound! And to his amazing Aunt Jessica!"

He gestured to Jessica. "Who not only threw this incredible party but also gifted Ryan a downtown condo, a brand new BMW, and a very generous trust fund! She' s been more than a mother to him."

The crowd cheered. Jessica smiled, a practiced, modest smile. Ryan preened.

Back in the sterile quiet of the ICU waiting room, Michael stared at his phone. He tried Jessica one last time.

She answered. Finally.

"Michael? What is it? I'm in a very important business meeting. Can it wait?" Her voice was sharp, impatient.

Before he could force the words out, the ones that would break everything, she hung up.

He looked at his own reflection in the dark screen. A man hollowed out.

A doctor approached, his face grim. "Mr. Miller..."