He had promised me he would keep his corporate interests completely separate from my academic pursuits.

“They are where they belong,” the text message from the unknown number read.

“Do not try to find them, Evelyn.”

“Accept your failure and move on.”

I did not reply to the text.

I closed my laptop, slid it into my leather bag, and stood up from the desk.

I kept my face downward, looking like a broken woman as I walked out of the study.

I did not look back at the hidden cameras.

I hurried down the corridor of the research building and stepped out into the damp evening air.

The campus was quiet, enveloped in a thick gray fog.

A cold drizzle began to fall, slicking the asphalt as I walked to my car.

My hands shook as I unlocked the door and climbed inside the driver’s seat.

I started the engine and turned on the heater, but I could not shake the chill in my bones.

I navigated the wet, crowded streets toward the downtown skyline.

The towering glass monolith of Hayes Industries loomed over the city.