Chapter 1

Sarah Miller loved teaching history, she worked at the high school in her small Vermont town. People said she was good at it, that she really cared if the kids learned. She was pregnant, her first baby, and the school just told her she was nominated for "State Teacher of the Year". Joy felt big inside her chest, a warm thing.

Her husband, Mark Thompson, owned the local car dealership, he knew everyone. He smiled when she told him the news, a quick, bright smile. "That's great, honey, really great," he said, but his eyes moved away fast, to the TV. A small, cold feeling touched Sarah, then it was gone. Mark was busy, that was all.

Later, Sarah scrolled through the town's Facebook group on her phone. A post jumped out. "LOCAL TEACHER FAILS DRUG TEST???" Underneath, a blurry picture of what looked like a lab report. "Sarah Miller - Positive - Opioids." Her breath stopped. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. She never took drugs, never. Her fingers shook as she read the comments. "A junkie teacher? In our school?" "My kid has her next semester! No way!" "She's a danger to children!" The words were like stones hitting her. The nomination, the baby, everything good felt like it was cracking. This had to be a mistake, a terrible, ugly mistake. But the post spread, fast, like fire in dry grass. Her phone started buzzing, notifications piling up, each one a new voice calling her a monster. Mark wasn't home yet, he was out with his golf buddies, he said. She was alone with the screen, watching her life burn.