CHAPTER 3 — THE MAN WHO NEVER EXISTED
They didn’t arrest him right away.
That was the worst part.
They just… surrounded him.
Like they were waiting for confirmation that the monster they had finally found was real.
Officer Daniels turned slightly toward me.
His voice softened—but not much.
“Ma’am… do you know who you’ve been living with?”
I swallowed.
“No,” I whispered. “I don’t.”
Brandon laughed once.
A broken sound.
“You see?” he snapped. “She doesn’t know anything. She’s confused. She—”
“Shut up,” Daniels cut him off.
Then he pulled out a worn photo from his folder.
He placed it on the counter.
My breath stopped.
It was Brandon.
But not Brandon.
Same face. Same eyes.
Different name printed underneath:
“Ethan Cole — Wanted for impersonation, financial fraud, and suspected connection to an unresolved disappearance case.”
My knees weakened.
A disappearance case.
Dr. Morgan stepped closer, voice tight.
“The woman who went missing… was his wife.”
The room turned colder.
I looked at Brandon—no, Ethan.
For the first time, I didn’t see anger.
I saw fear built on years of running.
He whispered, almost pleading now:
“I changed my life. I left that behind.”
Officer Daniels shook his head.
“No. You didn’t leave it behind.”
He leaned in.
“It followed you.”
May you like
And then—
the cuffs came out.
