The envelope trembled in my hands, soaked through from the rain—or maybe it was sweat. I hadn’t slept since finding it tucked inside Mom’s locket, the one labeled For When You’re Ready. Inside: a lab report. Subject: Wendy Alden. Probability of Paternity: 99.98%.

Dad. The man who walked past me at the charity gala last year like I was nothing. The man whose company funded the scholarship that let me into Evermore Academy—where they made my life hell.

I stood frozen outside the towering glass doors of Alden Tower, heart pounding. This changed everything. And yet… what if he just denies it again?

My phone buzzed. Unknown number. A photo popped up—me, asleep in the library last night. Then a message: Stop digging. Or your past won’t be the only thing buried.