Parasite

PARASITE

Written by Edward Carine Chidera

Copyright © 2026 Edward Carine Chidera

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except for brief quotations used in reviews or other uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, events, and situations are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is coincidental.

First edition, 2026.

PARASITE

A Psychological Thriller

Some people don't steal your money. They steal your peace, your trust, and eventually, yourself.

Main Characters

Alex Vance: The Manipulator

Emily Sinclair: The Empath

Jordan Blake: The Skeptic

Mia Thompson: The Survivor

Oliver Grant: The Enabler

PROLOGUE

The Things We Don't See

The first thing people noticed about Alex Vance was his smile.

It was warm without being overwhelming, confident without being arrogant, and familiar enough to make strangers feel as though they had known him for years.

Alex understood people.

He knew that a lonely person didn't always need someone to solve their problems. Sometimes, they needed someone to listen. A wealthy person didn't always need more money. Sometimes, they needed to feel important. And a woman who had spent years being disappointed by men could be drawn to someone who appeared willing to understand her.

He learned these things through observation.

He learned them through experience.

And, most importantly, he learned how to use them.

At thirty-one, Alex had perfected the art of becoming whatever people needed him to be.

To one woman, he was a struggling entrepreneur with a brilliant future.

To another, he was a wounded soul who had never known unconditional love.

To a third, he was a devoted partner preparing to build a life with her.

None of them knew about the others.

None of them knew that the money they sent to help him pay his rent sometimes went toward expensive dinners with another woman. None knew that the emergencies he described were occasionally identical, right down to the dates and amounts involved.

Alex kept records, although he would never have described them that way.

He remembered who had money, who had influence, who was emotionally attached, and who was likely to ask questions.

He knew when to disappear.

He knew when to return.

He knew how to cry.

But he had one weakness.

Alex believed he could understand everyone because he had learned how to manipulate them.

He believed that once he understood a person's needs, he understood the person.

He was wrong.

And the five people whose lives would soon collide with his were about to teach him a lesson he had spent years avoiding.

Some parasites were too small to see.

Others wore expensive watches, drove borrowed cars, and called themselves misunderstood.

Alex Vance  was the second kind.

And for a long time, nobody knew.

PART ONE

THE INFECTION

CHAPTER ONE

The Man Who Needed Help

Emily Sinclair met Alex Vance on a rainy Thursday evening.

She had spent nearly ten hours at work, her feet hurt, and the last thing she wanted was to be trapped in traffic while the heavens emptied themselves over the city.

She stood beneath the awning of a small café, staring at her phone and wondering whether ordering a ride would be worth the ridiculous surge price.

"Terrible weather for someone without a car," a voice said beside her.

Emily glanced up.

The man standing next to her wore a charcoal shirt with the sleeves folded neatly to his elbows. His hair was slightly damp, and a silver watch sat loosely around his wrist. He had the kind of face that seemed to become more attractive when he smiled.

"Terrible weather for everyone," she replied.

He laughed.

"Fair point. Although people with cars are probably laughing at us right now."

"Then I hope their cars break down."

He laughed again, and Emily found herself smiling despite her exhaustion.

"I'm Alex," he said, extending his hand.

"Emily."

"Nice to meet you, Emily."

His handshake was firm but not aggressive.

They spoke while waiting for the rain to ease. Their conversation began with traffic, moved to the ridiculous price of groceries, and somehow ended with their opinions about relationships.

Alex listened more than he spoke.

When Emily mentioned that she had recently ended a relationship with someone who had made her feel unimportant, Alex didn't interrupt to offer advice. He simply watched her with an expression of quiet understanding.

"I'm sorry," he said when she finished.

She shrugged.

"It happens."

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean it should."

Emily looked at him.

It was such a simple statement, yet something about the way he said it made her feel understood.

Most people responded to heartbreak by telling her to move on. Others reminded her that plenty of men existed in the world.

Alex did neither.

He made room for her disappointment without making her feel foolish for having experienced it.

"What about you?" she asked. "Are you in a relationship?"

He looked down briefly.

"No."

"By choice?"

"At this point? Mostly by experience."

Emily smiled.

"That sounds suspiciously dramatic."

"It is. I'm a very complicated man."

"At least you're honest about it."

Alex smiled, but something behind his eyes remained unreadable.

"Maybe one day I'll meet someone who makes all the complications worth it."

The rain began to slow.

Emily checked her phone and discovered that her ride was still several minutes away.

Alex offered to wait with her.

She accepted.

When her car finally arrived, he asked whether he could have her number.

Emily hesitated for only a moment before giving it to him.

That night, she received a message.

Alex: I enjoyed meeting you today. I hope you got home safely.

Emily replied that she had.

His response came almost immediately.

Alex: Good. I would have felt terrible if our first meeting ended with you stranded in the rain.

She laughed quietly.

Then she saved his number.

She had no way of knowing that Alex had already forgotten the names of two women he had met that week.

He would not forget hers.

Not because she was special to him.

Not yet.

But because he had noticed something during their conversation.

Emily was compassionate. She was independent enough to manage her own life, but she took other people's pain seriously. She believed that people deserved opportunities to become better versions of themselves.

She had a good heart.

Alex had learned that a good heart could be a dangerous thing when its owner believed everyone else possessed one.

He placed his phone on the table and returned to the dinner he had ordered.

Across from him sat a woman named Vanessa, who had been waiting for him to explain why he needed another loan.

Alex glanced at her, then at the message Emily had sent.

Two women.

Two different conversations.

Two different versions of himself.

He smiled.

The evening was going well.

CHAPTER TWO

The Perfect Man

Three weeks after their first meeting, Alex had become a regular part of Emily's life.

He called her before work and sent messages during the day. He remembered the little details she mentioned in passing, from her favourite coffee to the fact that she hated being disturbed when she was concentrating.

When Emily complained about a difficult day, Alex listened.

When she mentioned that her mother had been unwell, he checked on her the following morning.

When she forgot to eat lunch, he ordered food to her office.

It was thoughtful.

It was consistent.

And it was precisely what Emily had been missing.

"You've been smiling at your phone for ten minutes," Jordan Blake observed.

Emily looked up from her desk.

"No, I haven't."

"You absolutely have."

"I'm reading something."

"Something called Alex?"

Emily rolled her eyes.

Jordan pulled a chair beside her.

"So, tell me about this man."

"His name is Alex."

"I gathered that from the way you keep whispering it at your screen like you're communicating with a secret government agency."

Emily laughed.

"He's nice."

"That is not a biography."

"He's thirty-one. He works in business development. He's funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly easy to talk to."

"How long have you known him?"

"Three weeks."

Jordan stared at her.

"Three weeks?"

"Yes."

"And you're already smiling like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like somebody has replaced your common sense with a romantic comedy."

Emily threw a pen at her.

Jordan caught it.

"I'm serious," Jordan said. "I want you to be happy. I do. But I also want you to remember that you barely know him."

"I know enough."

"No, you know what he's chosen to tell you."

Emily's smile faded slightly.

"Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Look for problems before they exist."

Jordan leaned back.

"Because sometimes they exist before you notice them."

Emily shook her head.

"Not everyone is a bad person, Jordan."

"I never said they were."

"Then stop treating him like a criminal."

"I'm treating him like a stranger."

"He's not a stranger anymore."

Jordan looked at her for a long moment.

There was no satisfaction in being right about other people's mistakes. She knew that. She had watched Emily give too much of herself to people who offered little in return, and she didn't want to watch it happen again.

But Emily was already emotionally invested.

Jordan could see it in the way her face softened whenever Alex's name appeared on her screen.

"Just promise me something," Jordan said.

Emily sighed.

"What?"

"If anything feels wrong, don't explain it away just because you like him."

Emily reached for her hand.

"Nothing will happen."

Jordan squeezed her fingers.

"That's what everyone says before something happens."

Emily laughed, and the moment passed.

But Jordan did not forget the conversation.

She had learned long ago that people rarely entered someone's life announcing the damage they intended to cause.

Sometimes, they arrived with flowers.

Sometimes, they remembered your favourite song.

And sometimes, they made you feel so understood that you stopped asking whether they were telling you the truth.

CHAPTER THREE

A Small Favour

Alex's first request for money came on a Sunday evening.

Emily was preparing dinner when her phone rang.

She answered with a smile.

"Hello, stranger."

"Hey, beautiful."

She blushed, although nobody was there to see it.

"How was your day?"

"Complicated."

"That sounds ominous."

Alex laughed softly, but the sound lacked its usual warmth.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

He hesitated.

"I have a bit of a problem."

Emily turned down the stove.

"What happened?"

"My landlord has been giving me trouble. There's a payment I need to make tomorrow, and a business transaction I expected to close this week has been delayed."

"Oh, no."

"It's embarrassing, honestly. I wouldn't be telling you if I had another option."

Emily listened as he explained.

He didn't ask for money immediately. Instead, he spoke about how frustrating it was to work hard and still find himself in situations where everything seemed to happen at once.

He talked about the pressure of being a man who wanted to establish himself.

He spoke about his late father and the responsibility he felt to become successful.

Then he fell silent.

Emily felt her chest tighten.

"How much do you need?" she asked.

Alex exhaled.

"I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you."

"I didn't say that."

"I know, but I would hate for you to see me differently."

"Alex, just tell me."

He gave her the amount.

It was more than she had expected.

Emily looked at the money in her account and mentally rearranged her expenses.

She could manage it, although she would need to postpone a few things.

"I can help with some of it," she said.

"Emily, no. I can't ask you to do that."

"You just did."

"That was different."

"How?"

He sighed.

"Because I wanted someone to talk to. I didn't want to put my problems on you."

Emily smiled sadly.

"You don't have to carry everything alone."

There was a pause.

Then Alex spoke in a voice so quiet that she almost missed the words.

"You're different from everyone I've known."

Emily transferred the money that evening.

Alex thanked her repeatedly.

He promised to repay her within two weeks.

Before they ended the call, he told her that he loved how safe he felt talking to her.

Emily went to bed that night believing she had done something good.

She did not know that Alex had made the same request to another woman that afternoon.

He had described a different emergency, but the purpose was identical.

By Monday morning, he had received enough money to solve neither problem.

He had, however, paid for a weekend getaway with a woman who believed he was a successful businessman.

Alex did not consider himself cruel.

That was one of the most dangerous things about him.

He had developed an elaborate system of explanations for his behaviour.

He would repay Emily.

He would make things right with the others.

He would stop borrowing money when his business finally succeeded.

He wasn't stealing, he told himself.

He was surviving.

And survival, in Alex's private philosophy, justified almost anything.

CHAPTER FOUR

The Woman Who Remembered

Mia Thompson had not spoken Alex's name aloud in six months.

She had tried to forget him.

She had deleted their photographs, blocked his number, and thrown away the birthday card he had given her during their second year together.

She had even changed the route she took home from work because it passed the restaurant where he had proposed that they move in together.

For a while, she believed she was making progress.

Then, one evening, she saw his face on a friend's social media page.

Alex was standing beside a woman in a white dress. His arm rested around her waist, and he was smiling at the camera with the same expression Mia remembered from their first date.

The caption read:

Some people enter your life and remind you that good men still exist.

Mia stared at the screen.

Then she laughed.

It was a small, bitter sound.

"Good men," she whispered.

She enlarged the photograph.

Alex's watch was visible beneath his sleeve.

She recognized it immediately.

She had bought it for him on his thirtieth birthday after he told her that his business had suffered a setback and he couldn't afford the one he wanted.

She remembered saving for it.

She remembered his face when he opened the box.

She remembered him holding her as he promised that one day he would give her a life in which she would never have to worry about money.

She had believed him.

That was the part she hated most.

Not the money she had lost, although the amount had taken her months to recover from.

Not even the humiliation of discovering that several people had believed his lies.

It was the memory of how completely she had trusted him.

Mia opened the woman's profile.

Her name was Emily Carter.

The comments beneath the photograph were full of congratulations.

Mia scrolled through them slowly.

Then she opened a private message.

She typed three sentences, deleted them, and began again.

Finally, she wrote:

Hello, Emily. You don't know me, but I believe we have something important in common. I'm contacting you because I know Alex Reed, and I think you deserve to hear something about him before you get any more involved.

She stared at the message.

Her finger hovered over the screen.

Part of her wanted to send it immediately.

Another part feared the familiar humiliation of being dismissed as a jealous ex.

Alex had told people that Mia was unstable after their breakup. He had claimed that she couldn't accept the relationship was over.

Some of their mutual friends had believed him.

Others had simply decided that the truth was too inconvenient to investigate.

Mia had spent six months trying to rebuild her life.

She wasn't sure she had the strength to fight him again.

Then she looked at the photograph one more time.

Emily was smiling.

It was the kind of smile Mia remembered wearing.

She pressed send.

The message disappeared into the digital silence.

Mia placed her phone on the table and covered her face with both hands.

She had no idea whether Emily would respond.

But she knew one thing.

If Alex had found another person willing to believe him, she could not remain silent.

Not again.

CHAPTER FIVE

The First Warning

Emily read Mia's message while sitting in a restaurant with Alex.

They had been dating for nearly two months, and he had invited her to dinner to celebrate the successful completion of a project at work.

He had brought flowers.

He had remembered that she preferred sparkling water to ordinary bottled water.

He had spent twenty minutes telling her how proud he was of her professional achievements.

Everything felt perfect.

Then her phone vibrated.

Emily glanced at the screen.

An unfamiliar name appeared above a message preview.

I know Alex Reed, and I think you deserve to hear something about him...

She frowned.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Nothing."

He watched her turn the phone facedown.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes. Just a message."

Alex smiled.

"Work?"

"No. Someone I don't know."

For the briefest moment, something changed in his expression.

It was gone before she could identify it.

"Someone you don't know?"

"Yes. Her name is Mia Thompson."

Alex's hand paused above his glass.

Only for a second.

Then he laughed.

"That name sounds familiar."

Emily studied him.

"Do you know her?"

"Possibly. I've met a lot of people through business."

He took a sip of water.

"Why?"

"She says she knows you."

Alex leaned back.

"Emily, there are people who enjoy creating drama. Especially when they see someone happy."

She looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

He hesitated, as though deciding whether to reveal something painful.

"Mia and I knew each other a while ago. We had a complicated situation, and she didn't handle it well when things ended."

Emily said nothing.

"I don't want to speak badly about her," he continued. "But she has a habit of becoming attached to people and then blaming them when things don't work out."

He shook his head sadly.

"I genuinely hope she's doing better."

Emily felt a small flicker of discomfort.

It wasn't enough to make her suspicious of Alex.

Not yet.

But it was enough to make her curious.

"Should I read the message?" she asked.

"That's your decision, Emily."

His answer was immediate.

"I won't tell you what to do. I trust you to make your own choices."

It was a clever response.

He had not forbidden her from reading the message.

He had simply given her a reason to question the person who sent it.

Emily picked up her phone.

She opened the message.

She read it once.

Then again.

Alex continued eating as though nothing had happened.

After a moment, Emily placed the phone on the table.

"She's asking to speak with me."

Alex nodded.

"Then speak with her if you want to."

He smiled gently.

"I have nothing to hide."

Emily wanted to believe him.

She really did.

But as she looked at the man sitting across from her, she remembered Jordan's warning.

If anything feels wrong, don't explain it away just because you like him.

She took a breath.

"Maybe I will."

For the first time that evening, Alex's smile did not quite reach his eyes.

And Emily noticed.

CHAPTER SIX

Jordan's Investigation

Jordan did not believe in coincidences that arrived wearing expensive watches.

When Emily told her about Mia's message, Jordan listened without interrupting.

She asked to see the message.

Then she asked to see Alex's social media accounts.

Then she asked Emily to tell her everything Alex had said about his previous relationships.

Emily stared at her.

"You're enjoying this."

"No," Jordan replied. "I'm concentrating."

"You're doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"Making everything sound like a crime investigation."

Jordan handed the phone back.

"Emily, a woman you don't know has contacted you about a man you've been dating for two months. That alone doesn't prove anything. But it does mean we shouldn't dismiss her without hearing what she has to say."

Emily crossed her arms.

"What if she's lying?"

"Then we'll find out."

"And what if she's just bitter?"

"Then we'll find out that too."

Emily looked away.

She wanted Jordan to tell her that everything was fine.

Instead, Jordan was suggesting that she might have to confront the possibility that the relationship she valued was built on a false impression.

"Do you think Alex is a bad person?" Emily asked.

Jordan was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know him well enough to answer that."

"Then why are you so suspicious?"

"Because people don't have to be monsters to hurt you. Sometimes they're just selfish people who have become very good at convincing themselves that their selfishness is justified."

Emily swallowed.

Jordan softened her voice.

"I'm not asking you to end the relationship. I'm asking you to pay attention."

Emily nodded reluctantly.

Later that night, Jordan contacted Mia.

She introduced herself, explained that she was Emily's friend, and asked whether Mia would be willing to speak with them.

Mia agreed.

They arranged to meet at a café the following afternoon.

Before ending the conversation, Jordan asked one final question.

"Does Alex know you've contacted Emily?"

Mia's reply came almost immediately.

I don't know. But if he finds out, he'll probably say I'm obsessed with him.

Jordan stared at the screen.

Then she typed:

What makes you think that?

Mia answered:

Because that's what he told everyone the last time I tried to expose him.

Jordan leaned back in her chair.

For the first time, her suspicions began to take a definite shape.

This was no longer simply a question of whether Alex was a good boyfriend.

It was a question of whether he had built an entire identity around making other people doubt the truth.

And if he had, Jordan intended to find out how far the deception went.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Man Who Opened Doors

Oliver Grant had spent thirty years building a successful business.

He understood risk, investment, and the importance of choosing the right people.

He also believed that talent was often overlooked because people lacked the connections needed to demonstrate it.

That belief had made him generous.

It had also made him vulnerable to Alex Reed.

They met at a business networking event, where Alex introduced himself as an entrepreneur developing a promising new venture.

Alex spoke intelligently about market opportunities, customer behaviour, and the difficulties faced by young businesses.

He didn't exaggerate his achievements.

At least, not obviously.

He asked Oliver thoughtful questions and listened carefully to the answers.

By the end of the evening, Oliver was impressed.

"You have an interesting perspective," Oliver told him.

"Thank you, sir."

"How long have you been working on this business?"

"Almost two years."

"And how is it going?"

Alex smiled faintly.

"Better than last year. Not as well as I'd hoped."

Oliver appreciated the honesty.

Many young entrepreneurs exaggerated their success. Alex seemed willing to admit that his business still had challenges.

They exchanged contact details.

Two weeks later, Alex sent Oliver a proposal.

It was professionally presented, with financial projections and a clear explanation of the business model. Some of the figures were optimistic, but Oliver had seen worse.

They arranged a meeting.

Alex arrived early, dressed neatly, with printed copies of the proposal.

He answered questions confidently.

He admitted that he needed additional capital to expand operations.

Oliver agreed to consider a modest investment.

For Alex, the opportunity was more valuable than the money itself.

Oliver had connections.

He could introduce him to business owners, investors, and influential people who might otherwise have ignored him.

More importantly, Oliver believed in second chances.

When Alex mentioned that he had struggled financially in the past, Oliver shared a little of his own history.

"I didn't become successful overnight," he said. "There were years when I wondered whether I would ever get anywhere."

Alex listened.

"People helped me when I needed it. I've always believed that success means something more when you can help someone else achieve theirs."

Alex lowered his eyes.

"That's something I respect about you, sir."

Oliver smiled.

Neither man noticed the irony.

One believed he was helping someone build a future.

The other was already calculating how much that belief might be worth.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Truth in Pieces

Mia arrived at the café fifteen minutes early.

She chose a table near the window and ordered water.

When Jordan and Emily entered, she recognized Emily immediately.

For several seconds, none of them spoke.

Emily had imagined this meeting many times since receiving the message. She had expected Mia to be angry, perhaps bitter, perhaps determined to convince her that Alex was a terrible person.

Instead, Mia looked exhausted.

Not physically exhausted, but tired in a way that suggested she had spent too much time defending a truth other people refused to believe.

"Thank you for meeting us," Jordan said.

Mia nodded.

"I wasn't sure you'd come."

Emily sat opposite her.

"I almost didn't."

Mia gave a small, understanding smile.

"I know."

Emily folded her hands on the table.

"Can you tell me what happened between you and Alex?"

Mia took a breath.

"We were together for almost three years."

Emily's expression changed.

"Three years?"

"Yes."

Alex had told Emily that his previous relationship had lasted less than a year.

Mia noticed her reaction.

"He probably told you we weren't serious."

Emily said nothing.

"He was good at making each relationship sound different. When he spoke about me, I was the unstable ex. When he spoke about another woman, she was the one who didn't understand his ambitions. He always had a reason why the relationship ended, and somehow, he was never responsible."

Mia reached into her bag and removed a small notebook.

"I started writing things down after I realized I couldn't keep track of his stories."

She opened it.

There were dates, amounts, and brief notes.

A payment for rent.

A supposed business emergency.

Money borrowed for medical expenses.

A promise to repay everything after a contract was completed.

Emily stared at the pages.

Some of the explanations were familiar.

Alex had told her about a delayed contract. He had mentioned problems with his landlord. He had described a period when his finances were unstable.

Mia turned another page.

"He told me his father had died when he was young. He said he'd been left with responsibilities he wasn't ready for."

Emily nodded slowly.

"He told me that too."

Mia looked at her.

"Perhaps his father did die. I'm not here to tell you every painful thing he's ever said is a lie. I'm telling you that he used those stories to make people feel responsible for rescuing him."

Emily's throat tightened.

"Did he love you?"

The question escaped before she could stop it.

Mia looked down at her hands.

"I believed he did."

"That's not what I asked."

Mia raised her eyes.

"I don't know, Emily. I spent years trying to answer that question. Eventually, I realized I couldn't build my life around something I might never know."

Silence settled over the table.

Jordan glanced at the notebook.

"Do you have evidence?"

Mia nodded.

"I have messages, transfer records, and conversations with two other women who knew him. One of them hasn't agreed to speak publicly yet."

"Why didn't you report him?"

"I tried to confront him. He disappeared. When I told people what happened, he said I was trying to ruin his reputation because I couldn't accept the breakup."

She swallowed.

"Some people believed him. Others didn't want to get involved."

Emily looked at the notebook again.

She wanted to find an explanation.

Perhaps Mia had misunderstood him. Perhaps there had been financial complications. Perhaps the dates were misleading.

There were so many possibilities.

But one question refused to leave her mind.

Why had Alex lied about the length of his previous relationship?

"Did you ever meet anyone else he was involved with?" Emily asked.

Mia nodded.

"Not at first. I found out later."

"How?"

"One woman contacted me after she discovered that the man she was dating had the same name, the same job, and the same personal history as my boyfriend."

Emily felt cold.

"Was it Alex?"

Mia held her gaze.

"Yes."

Emily looked away.

For the first time since meeting Alex, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of standing in a room where the floor had begun to shift beneath her feet.

She had wanted to meet Mia to prove that there was nothing to worry about.

Instead, she had discovered that the story Alex told about himself might be only one of several versions.

And somewhere beneath them all was a man she did not yet know.

CHAPTER NINE

The Cost of Doubt

Emily did not confront Alex immediately.

She wanted to think.

She wanted to examine the information Mia had given her without allowing fear or affection to determine what she believed.

For two days, she watched him more carefully.

She noticed how quickly he changed the subject when she asked about his business.

She noticed that he sometimes received calls and stepped outside to answer them.

She noticed that he became unusually attentive whenever she appeared distant.

Perhaps these things had always been there.

Perhaps she had simply never looked closely enough.

On Friday evening, Alex arrived at her apartment carrying a small box.

"I brought you something."

Emily opened it.

Inside was a delicate necklace.

Her expression softened despite herself.

"It's beautiful."

"I saw it and thought of you."

She looked at him.

"Alex, we need to talk."

His smile faded.

"What's wrong?"

"I spoke to Mia."

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Alex placed the box on the table.

"I see."

"She told me about your relationship."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Emily, I was hoping this wouldn't happen."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I knew she'd eventually contact you."

"Why?"

"Because she's still angry."

Emily stared at him.

"She said you were together for almost three years."

Alex sighed.

"We were."

"You told me it lasted less than a year."

"I didn't want to discuss the relationship."

"Then why did you tell me something different?"

He looked at her.

"I don't know. I suppose I was ashamed."

"Of what?"

"Of how things ended."

Emily folded her arms.

"She says you borrowed money from her repeatedly."

Alex looked away.

"That part is true."

The admission startled her.

"You borrowed money from her?"

"Yes."

"Did you repay her?"

He hesitated.

"Not all of it."

Emily felt a sudden heaviness in her chest.

"Why?"

"My business was struggling. I made mistakes. I thought I could fix everything before she found out how bad things were."

"Did you tell her that?"

"I tried."

"Alex, did you tell her the truth?"

He said nothing.

Emily took a step back.

He looked at her with an expression she had never seen before.

Not anger.

Not irritation.

Fear.

"I was in a terrible place, Emily. I made decisions I'm not proud of. But I am not the person she says I am."

"Then who are you?"

The question hung between them.

Alex opened his mouth, but no answer came.

For the first time, he seemed unable to decide which version of himself would be most convincing.

Emily noticed.

And that frightened her more than anything Mia had said.

End of Part One.

The infection has begun. Emily has seen the first cracks in Alex's carefully constructed identity, Mia has found an ally, Jordan is investigating, and Oliver remains unaware of the role he is playing in Alex's life.