Caro didn't realize she was still holding her breath until the screen refreshed again. The message didn't disappear this time. It expanded. A new notification layered over it, sharp and deliberate, like someone pressing harder just to make sure she felt it.
"Next step: public exposure."
Her fingers froze above the phone, her pulse crashing violently as a second line appeared beneath it.
"Let's see how your world reacts when they know who you really are."
"No…" she whispered, the word slipping out before she could stop it. Her chest tightened as her mind spiraled, images flashing too fast to process, headlines, accusations, Peter's face when he found out everything at once. Her grip on the phone weakened slightly. "They can't… they wouldn't…" But even as she said it, she knew they would. That was the point.
Across the room, Peter's voice cut through the silence. "What are you looking at?"
