Saturday morning

Chloe wakes up with a sharp, gasping breath, her back arching off the mattress as the phantom sensation of the dream’s climax ripples through her. She is drenched in sweat, her heart hammering. She looks at her phone; it’s 6:30 AM. A notification on her screen reads: [MODEL STATE: ACTIVE].

Downstairs, the house is already stirring.

Chad is in the kitchen, dressed in his polo shirt and khakis, checking his golf bag with a focused, almost obsessive intensity. He's so worried about beating Mike Carter that he hasn't even noticed the house feels like a powder keg.

Cherie is at the counter, drinking a cup of coffee. She looks tired, her eyes dark-rimmed from a night of writing. Alexis is awake and heading to the kitchen in a silk robe that is barely tied. Chad's head snaps up at a knock on the door. Mike has arrived in his SUV to pick him up.