Just two hours after we buried my daughter, my doctor phoned urgently and told me to come alone and tell no one; when I walked into his office and saw who was waiting, my hands trembled uncontrollably in sh0ck there.

Agent Hale hesitated.
“We believe the threat is tied to someone close to your life. Someone who had access or information. A familiar door they could slip through.”

My heart twisted violently.
“Who are you suggesting?”

She slid a sheet of paper toward me.

A name.
A name I loved.

My best friend since childhood, Isabella Crowe.

Betrayal Has a Pulse

My laugh came out strangled. “No. No. Bella has been nothing but family. She helped plan Clara’s birthday parties, she held my hand when my husband died, she—”

Agent Hale didn’t move.
“We aren’t accusing her without proof. But her identity appears linked to encrypted financial transfers connected to the network we’re tracking. Recent unexplained wealth. Trips. Secrecy. Sudden changes in behavior. Anything?”

My mind began replaying years of friendship, suddenly tainted by suspicion.

Bella’s sudden new house.
Her evasive answers about business trips.
The time she got angry when I asked too many questions.
The odd nervous glances when Clara entered the room.

Had love blinded me? Or had I simply chosen trust because the truth would have hurt too much?

Dr. Cole touched my shoulder gently.
“We must relocate you for your safety.”