Alison returned to her desk, her hands trembling as she fumbled to log into her computer. Her heart still pounded from Henry's questioning, and she couldn't shake the feeling that her facade was beginning to crumble. Henry had been sharp, relentless, and dangerously close to figuring her out. She was losing control of the situation, and if she wasn't careful, everything would unravel.
As she stared blankly at the screen, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Carter again: *"Updates?"*
Alison's fingers hovered over the keyboard, but no words came. She had nothing to offer him. Nothing but delays, excuses, and more lies. She quickly turned her phone face down, shutting out the reminder of the increasingly impossible task hanging over her head.
