I wasn’t a stranger.
So why did I suddenly feel like one?
The bell over the door jingled and the sheriff’s deputy stepped in. Not my dad—thank God—but someone new. He scanned the room, eyes landing on me before flicking away.
He didn’t approach.
That was worse.
I finished my coffee quickly and stood. As I passed one of the tables, a woman I’d grown up with—Claire—looked up at me. For a split second, her expression was open.
Then it closed.
“You okay?” she asked, voice soft but guarded.
“I’m fine,” I said.
She nodded. “That was… scary. What happened to you?”
There it was.
Not concern.
Context.
“I didn’t choose it,” I said gently.
She flushed. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know,” I replied. And I did. Fear made people search for distance. For a reason.
For blame.
Outside, the air felt Colder.
I walked two blocks before my phone buzzed.
Trigger.
You good?
I stared at the screen, thumb hovering.
Yeah,I typed.Just grabbing groceries.
The lie sat heavy.
By the time I reached the market, it was worse. A man I didn’t recognize lingered too long at the end of an aisle. Another shopper turned her cart around when she saw me coming.
No one was cruel.
That was the most insidious part.
They were afraidaroundme. They must have thought the cartel would grab them if they got too close to me.
I paid and stepped back outside, hands shaking despite my best effort to steady them.
This was Thomas’s move.
