Pay the girls a visit.

The Instagram notification burned in Zane's vision. That same smug smile. That same laugh. The way Anna's fingers curled around her champagne flute like she'd already forgotten what she'd done to him.

Time to remind her.

The remote felt electric in his pocket as he drove across town. He knew this route by heart - how many times had he dropped Anna home after dates? Back when he was stupid enough to think she actually cared. The house looked exactly the same. Her stupid potted plants by the door.

He knocked three times. Hard.

Footsteps. Then the door cracked open just enough to show one narrowed brown eye.

"Zane?" Anna's voice dripped with venom. "What the fuck are you—"

"Missed you too." He shoved the door open with his shoulder, the remote already humming in his palm.

Anna stumbled back, phone in hand. "I'm calling the—"

Zane's thumb pressed the first button.

Her fingers froze mid-swipe. The phone clattered to the floor.

"That's better." He kicked the door shut behind him. "Living room. Now."

Anna's body turned before her brain could protest, her legs moving on their own. He watched the panic set in - the way her breath hitched when she realized she couldn't scream, couldn't run, couldn't do anything but obey.

The living room smelled like vodka and vanilla perfume. Half-empty glasses littered the coffee table beside a plate of smeared lipstick-stained cupcakes. Alena's leopard print Adidas Sambas were kicked off by the couch.

"Where's your sister?" Zane asked, though he already knew. The bathroom light was on upstairs. Water running.

Anna's mouth opened against her will. "Shower." The word came out strangled.

Zane smiled. Perfect.

He guided her onto the couch, her body sitting primly like a doll waiting for instructions. Her fingers dug into the cushions, knuckles white. Every muscle trembled with the effort to fight it.

"You ruined my life over a fucking lie," Zane said, rolling the remote between his palms. "Got me fired. Made everyone think I was some creep. But you know what's funny?" He leaned in close enough to smell her coconut shampoo. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Anna's eyes flicked to the stairs.

"Uh-uh." Zane tapped the remote. Her head snapped back to face him. "No calling for help. Not yet." He stood, pacing in front of her. "Three months. That's how long it took me to build this. Three months of eating ramen in my shitty apartment while you got promotions."

Upstairs, the shower shut off.

Zane's grin turned wolfish. "I could make you forget your own name right now. Turn you into a drooling mess. But where's the fun in that?" He crouched in front of her, watching the terror bloom in her eyes. "No. I think I'll start with Alena first."

A floorboard creaked upstairs.

Anna made a sound like a wounded animal.

"Shhh." Zane pressed a finger to her lips. Her whole body shook. "Just listen. That's your sister's last shower as the girl you know. By sunrise?" He thumbed the remote's activation sequence. The screen lit up with Alena's profile - every measurement, every personality trait, every memory waiting to be rewritten.

"She'll never be the same."