One reading. One warning. One friendship built on secrets.When Penelope's three-year relationship ends with a late-night text, she turns to the one person who has always been there: her best friend, Empress.Empress has carried Penelope through everything-her mother's death, the devastating loss of her daughter, heartbreak, and grief. She knows Penelope's routines, her fears, her passwords, and the pieces of her past she would rather forget.Maybe she knows Penelope a little too well.Searching for answers about her breakup, Penelope agrees to a tarot reading. But instead of revealing the future, the cards force her to question the past. Then Kenny returns with a chilling warning:Don't tell Empress.Suddenly, ordinary memories begin to look different. Missing objects. Anonymous messages. Location sharing Penelope doesn't remember enabling. A friend who always seems to arrive before she is called. And secrets surrounding some of the most painful moments of Penelope's life.As suspicion turns to terror, Penelope must uncover how deeply Empress has embedded herself in her life-and what she is willing to do to keep her there.Because some friendships become family.Some become obsession.And sometimes, the person who helps you survive your darkest moments is the one who put you in the dark.The Reading is a gripping psychological thriller about friendship, grief, manipulation, obsession, and the terrifying difference between being cared for and being controlled.