Chapter 1

My phone buzzed on the polished mahogany of my desk. I glanced at it, a rare smile touching my lips. It was a text from a number I didn' t recognize, a reservation confirmation for a private table at 'Élan' , the most exclusive new restaurant downtown. A place you couldn't get into for months.

It had to be David.

My husband.

He knew I' d been working sixty-hour weeks to close the biggest merger of my career. He knew I was exhausted. This was his way of saying, 'I see you. I appreciate you.'

A warmth spread through my chest. I imagined him there, waiting with our daughter, Lily. Maybe he' d have flowers. Lily would probably be rolling her eyes, pretending to be bored, but secretly thrilled to be at such a fancy place. The thought of my family, my two favorite people, waiting to surprise me, was the only motivation I needed.

I quickly packed my briefcase, my heart feeling lighter than it had in months. The drive downtown was a blur of traffic and city lights. I felt a flutter of anticipation, the kind you get in the early days of a relationship. After fifteen years of marriage, moments like this were precious. They were the glue.

I gave my name to the host at Élan. He led me not to the main dining room, but down a quiet, wood-paneled hallway toward a private suite. The low hum of voices and laughter grew louder. My smile widened. A surprise party. That was so much better.

The host opened a heavy oak door, and I stepped inside.

The laughter stopped.

The room was filled with people, maybe twenty of them. David' s friends, his colleagues. But my eyes found him instantly. He was standing in the center of the room, his arm wrapped tightly around another woman' s shoulders.

Her name was Jessica Lee. His ex-girlfriend from college.

She was glowing, her hand resting on a small, but very visible, baby bump. David was beaming down at her, a look of pure adoration on his face. A look he hadn't given me in years.

Balloons bobbed near the ceiling. They were pink and blue. A large banner hung over the fireplace. 'Congratulations David & Jessica!'

My daughter, Lily, stood beside them, holding a gift wrapped in shiny paper. She saw me first. Her face, a younger, sharper version of my own, twisted into a sneer of pure annoyance. It was like I was a cockroach that had scuttled into her perfect party.

I couldn't breathe. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating. My briefcase slipped from my numb fingers and hit the plush carpet with a soft thud. No one seemed to notice.

Then I heard David' s voice, loud and proud, directed at the woman beside him. "Anything for you, Jess. And for our baby."

Lily chimed in, her voice dripping with the kind of casual cruelty only a teenager can perfect. "Dad even got rid of that stupid dog you hated. He said the special stew for your pregnancy cravings needed a very special ingredient."

Jessica giggled, a high, tinkling sound that grated on my raw nerves. "Oh, David, you didn't!"

"Only the best for you," he said, kissing her temple. "Besides, Sarah was obsessed with that mutt. It was unhealthy."

Special stew.

Special ingredient.

That stupid dog.

The words echoed in the sudden silence of my mind. They were talking about Buster. My Buster. My champion show dog, my shadow, the one warm, uncomplicated love in my life. The one I' d left sleeping peacefully in his bed this morning.

A cold dread, sharp and sickening, washed over me. It was a preposterous, insane thought. An evil thought. But looking at my husband' s smiling face and my daughter' s smug expression, I knew.

I knew with a certainty that settled deep in my bones.

The special stew they were celebrating, the one made just for Jessica' s pregnancy cravings, was my dog.