Alexander Kane pulled into the university parking lot right at 3:47 PM, his silver sedan fitting right in with all the other cars parked along the curb.
He checked his watch, always early, as usual. Precision mattered a great deal in his job, even when it came to picking up his daughter after her first day of grad school.
From his spot in the car, he watched students streaming out of the main building, their laughter and chatter creating a bubble of normal life that he'd carefully built around Emma's world.
Normal. Safe. Unremarkable.
That's what he had given her for twenty-three years: a quiet life in their small but comfy home, away from the craziness of his past.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number, "Timeline moving faster than expected. Stay alert."
He deleted it right away, his jaw tightening.
Then he spotted her.
Emma Kane burst through the main doors, her backpack bouncing against her shoulders, and her dark hair catching the afternoon sun.
