Chapter 1Catfished by Mom

My mother was a control freak of the highest order. To keep a tighter grip on me, she created a burner account, posed as a sympathetic older-sister type, and became the person I confided in online.

She even started a thread about it, practically glowing with pride.

[He sends me his bank passwords and private photos of his crush all on his own! Once he gets into a top school, I'm applying as his dorm supervisor. When he gets married, I'm hiding under their bed!]

I scrolled through the comments. Tons of people were ripping her to shreds. I laughed. She thought she had total control. She had no idea I was feeding her exactly what I wanted her to see.

The bank password I sent two days ago was fake. The 'private photos of my crush' were stock images I pulled off the internet.

I took my time typing out a message: [Hey, my dad brought a woman home last night. They were making out on the couch. I secretly recorded it. Want to see?]

A scream ripped through the wall from the next room.

I put my headphones on and leaned back. The show was just getting started.

* * *

My bedroom door flew open with a single kick, and Mom came storming in with her hair splayed to her face.

"Where's your father? Where did that useless man go?

She grabbed me by the collar of my pajamas and hauled me out of my gaming chair. I pulled off my headphones on cue and put on my best stunned, clueless expression. "Mom, what's wrong? Dad said something came up at work half an hour ago and drove off."

"Don't you dare play dumb with me!" She got right in my face with her teeth clenched, spit flying with every word. "Did you see something last night? Who's the woman? What does she look like? What's her name?"

Her grip was terrifyingly strong, her nails digging in hard enough to break skin.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about. I was doing homework all night. I didn't even leave my room."

Mom stared straight into my eyes, searching for any trace of a lie. She held the stare for a full 30 seconds, then shoved me away. "You're absolutely useless. You can't even keep an eye on the door."

She spun around and stormed back into the living room, snatching her phone off the coffee table. I leaned against the doorframe, watching her retreating back, her whole posture twisted with anger.

She switched back to her main account on the local forum and started typing. Her fingers stabbed at the screen like she was trying to punch through the glass.

[$500 bounty, city-wide!

[Whoever helps me track down and dox this shameless homewrecker in the photo gets the money wired on the spot!

[My husband drives a black Volkswagen, plate ending in 886!]

She paced back and forth across the living room as she posted it. Her chest was heaving, her breathing loud and ragged.

I went back to my desk and pulled open the bottom drawer, fishing out an old backup phone that did not even have a SIM card in it. Once I connected to the neighbor's WiFi, I logged into an alternative account I had registered a long time ago and opened the local forum.

Mom's bounty post had already been bumped to the top of the front page. The locals in the comments were eating it up.

[Holy crap, this guy looks kinda familiar.]

[Look at that couch. Doesn't this place look like Ridgeview?]

I smirked and took my time typing out a reply.

[OP, I just saw that black Volkswagen with the 886 plates parked outside Lucky Deal Card Room on Dalton Road. There was definitely a woman in a trench coat in the passenger seat.]

I hit send.

A heavy, ragged gasp came from the living room.

"Lucky Deal Card Room… You piece of trash, spending my money on your little mistress!"

She grabbed the heavy brass ashtray off the coffee table. Without even changing out of her pajamas, she shoved her feet into a pair of slippers and stormed out.

The moment the front door slammed shut, I walked over and locked it from the inside. Then, I went back to the bedroom and pulled a black laptop out of a hidden compartment under the bed.