Taking a deep breath, I considered my next move. It dawned on me that staying put wasn’t an option. I needed answers, and I wasn’t going to find them parked at the end of the driveway under a storm of flashing lights. As I turned the key in the ignition, I noticed a figure emerging from the shadows—a man, tall and wearing a hooded sweatshirt. He approached cautiously, gesturing with his hands to show he meant no harm.

Lowering the window slightly, I kept my foot ready on the pedal. “Lucia, it’s me, Sam,” he said, pushing his hood back to reveal a familiar face. Sam was an old friend of Robert’s from college, someone who had always seemed to hover at the edges of our lives. “We need to talk, away from here,” he urged.