Chapter 4

By dawn, my eyes were laced with scarlet veins, but I still wasn't tired at all.

At eight in the morning, I washed up, applied my makeup, patted concealer over my dark circles, and left for work.

Everything seemed normal, as if the online storm from last night had never happened.

At ten, while I was buried in spreadsheets at my desk, my phone buzzed on the wood.

I stared at the caller ID for five long seconds before hitting accept.

"Hey, Audrey."

Liam's voice came through the speaker, completely identical to the man on last night's stream.

My grip on the phone tightened. I didn't say a word.

Liam didn't seem to notice my silence and spoke with an apologetic chuckle.

"Audrey, I'm so sorry about last night."

"Right when your call came through, my mom was FaceTiming me."

"The lines crossed, and I accidentally hit decline on yours."

"She kept talking for so long that I figured you'd already fallen asleep, so I didn't want to wake you up. Thought I'd just let you know this morning."

His explanation was seamless.

He even had a completely airtight excuse for why he never called back.

I lowered my gaze, staring at the quarterly report crinkling beneath my white-knuckled fingers.

"Yeah, got it," I answered flatly.

Liam seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Glad you're not mad. Hey, don't let that crazy internet garbage get to your head."

"Truth always wins. I've already contacted my attorney to start gathering evidence for defamation."

Listening to his righteous, protective tone, a sickening wave of irony hit me.

Gathering evidence?

To clear his name, or to cover his tracks?

I took a slow breath, smoothed out my voice, and asked quietly:

"Liam, how did you sleep last night?"

The line fell quiet for a second.

Then, Liam let out a breezy laugh.

"Honestly, amazing."

"I don't know why, but the second my head hit the pillow, I passed out. Slept straight through until morning."

"Didn't even dream once. Best sleep I've had in weeks."

He spoke so naturally, with absolute confidence.

I didn't say another word.

The open-concept office was dead quiet. Leaning back in my chair, I felt the warmth drain straight out of my chest.

Liam said he slept like a baby.

Except he had been battling crippling insomnia for an entire week!

Just two nights ago, he had been rolling in agony from a pounding migraine, dragging me to the ER just to get a prescription for heavy-duty sleeping pills.

The doctor had warned him strictly that if the pills failed, he would need inpatient neuro-therapy.

A man with clinical insomnia, suffering so much he couldn't function without narcotics...

After enduring a brutal day of cyberbullying, creep shots, and trending slander...

How could he possibly "pass out the second his head hit the pillow"?!