I came to visit my daughter, but her stepfather blocked the doorway. “She went traveling with friends,” he said smoothly. Her mother forced a smile. “She’s happy. Stop worrying.”

The heavy oak door swung open, and Victor Hale filled the frame. He was wearing a pressed light-blue dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal a heavy gold watch. His broad shoulders intentionally blocked any view of the hallway behind him. When he saw it was me, his perfectly practiced smile tightened at the corners, a flicker of genuine annoyance crossing his polished features.

"Daniel," Victor said, his tone dripping with condescension. "What a surprise. We weren't expecting you."

"I came to see Emily," I said flatly, not bothering to return his fake pleasantries. "She stopped answering my calls."

Victor sighed, shifting his weight to further block the doorway. "She went traveling with friends," he said smoothly, the lie sliding off his tongue without a second thought. "You really should learn to respect her space, Daniel. She’s an adult."

Before I could respond, Laura appeared over his shoulder. My ex-wife looked pale, her eyes darting nervously between me and the driveway. She was twisting her diamond wedding ring around her finger—a nervous tic she’d had since we were in our twenties.

"She’s happy, Daniel," Laura forced a tight, unconvincing smile. "Stop worrying so much. She just needed a break from everything."

"Where did she go?" I asked, keeping my voice dangerously calm.

"Europe," Laura answered instantly, entirely too quickly.

I stared at her, my expression unwavering. "Which country in Europe, Laura?"

Victor’s thin smile vanished. He crossed his arms over his chest, puffing himself up. "This interrogation is exactly why she avoids you, Daniel. You're overbearing. She’s finding herself. Now, if you don't mind, we are in the middle of a busy afternoon."