al bed, the thin blanket doing

t. "The doctors here don't know about it. The Phoe

a harsh, disbe

u're trying to get out of helping Jessic

shield against any trut

"Remember that software you developed in college? The one that crunch

oftware Jessica later clai

sed. You'll be fine. Jessica needs that app

ys. Her pain, her impending dea

losed h

arents, who saw her as a lesser version of J

Mark had brought with her thin

ours remaining,"

it all felt like a long, s

llapses, her local doctors baffled. They offered a chance, a

e had faile

her hospital room do

ssica' s bright,

ve, funded by my app' s success, to underprivileged youn

had called report

a were there,

utting a supportive

ess, and she just wants to help others. She says her financial insights, the ones t

rah' s insigh

itter, cynical smil

would crash witho

based on Jessica' s "i

uilt on her strat

deception were inevitable.

e was a

sted she was well enough to go home, d

public appearance at so

arah," Linda had said. "And Jess

vish hall, lights fla

esigner gown, stood on

ringing with false sincerity. "A wish for an eternal partnership with

o a kiss for the cameras. He pra

similar public event years ago,

inancial analysis softw

her it was "too niche,"

ssica, the "socially ad

g her. "Smile, Sarah.

her to loo

he gala' s server crashed. They need a list of attende

task, for Jess

night, the pain a bur

she finally finished

the room, his fa

d. "She hit someone with her car. A cyclist. They' re

Sarah' s

ast night, you could have borrowed her car. Jessic

, unthinking. Sacrific

her to the po

er "illness," had taken Jessica' s car wi

d "traumatized," co

Sarah to "do this one

gal standing and Jessica' s celebrit

rm, Mr. Harrison, had connections. He m

fight, too numb t

given her "pre-existing con

te care facility, effectively a death sentence giv

in her bag pulsed. "One d