Chapter 1: Cancelled Tickets and Invisible Warnings

I was halfway through canceling my plane ticket—my finger hovering over the button—when suddenly, comments started popping up in my vision, flickering like ghostly subtitles from some invisible livestream. Tiny comment bubbles blinked across my vision, like TikTok chat overlays gone rogue:

[If you cancel your ticket now, the lead will immediately buy it for the love interest, and you’ll be stuck in Thailand waiting for disaster.]

My phone buzzed with an incoming call, Derek’s voice sliding into my ear, casual as ever:

"Aubrey, that earthquake thing’s just a rumor. Don’t blow your cash—cancel your flight already."

My finger hovered, heart pounding like I was about to shoplift from my own life. A flash of Derek’s voice twisting facts, convincing me I was always the crazy one, surged through my mind—a hot, prickly wave of fear. But this time, I wasn’t the sucker.

I forced a smile, but my jaw ached from holding it so tight. Then I canceled a ticket—but not mine. It was Derek’s. Just following his own advice. As I clicked confirm, a petty satisfaction settled in my chest, like the first sip of sweet iced tea on a sticky summer day.