Chapter 6 - The Missing Five YearsThe recording had been only twenty-three seconds long.
Twenty-three seconds that destroyed everything Ethan believed.
Claire was alive.
Or had been alive when the video was recorded.
But Natalie had warned him not to trust herself.
And Evelyn had warned him not to trust Natalie.
Someone was lying.
Someone always had been.
Ethan returned to the mansion with Sophie and locked every door.
By sunrise, police were outside.
Not because Ethan had called them.
Because three patrol cars had arrived claiming there had been a report of an intruder.
Ethan immediately knew something was wrong.
The officers were wearing uniforms.
But one badge number didn't exist.
He closed the door.
“No police.”
The fake officer smiled.
“Mr. Mercer, you need to come with us.”
Ethan reached for his phone.
A gun appeared.
He slammed the door.
Shots struck the wood.
Sophie screamed.
Ethan grabbed her and ran.
They escaped through the garage in Ethan's car.
He drove without knowing where he was going.
Finally, he called Marcus.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
Ethan answered.
A woman's voice said:
“You have until midnight.”
“Who is this?”
“You'll receive coordinates.”
“For Claire?”
“Yes.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I knew your wife before you did.”
The call ended.
A message appeared.
Coordinates.
Ethan followed them to an abandoned railway station outside the city.
The building was empty.
Dust covered the ticket booths.
Sophie stayed in the car.
Ethan entered alone.
He found a metal box beneath a bench.
Inside was a phone.
And another letter.
Claire’s handwriting.
Ethan,
If you made it this far, you finally understand.
My death was staged.
I survived.
But I could not come home.
Someone inside your company had already betrayed us.
I was told Sophie would be killed if I tried to expose them.
I made the hardest decision of my life.
I disappeared.
I thought staying away would keep her safe.
I was wrong.
Someone has been watching Sophie for years.
I don't know who I can trust anymore.
But there is one person who knows the truth.
His name is Daniel Mercer.
Your father.
Ethan stared at the final line.
His father had been dead for eleven years.
He read the letter again.
Then looked at the signature.
Claire.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
MIDNIGHT. CEMETERY. COME ALONE.
Ethan returned to the car.
Sophie looked at him.
“Did you find Mommy?”
He didn't answer.
“Daddy?”
Ethan finally said:
“She might be alive.”
Sophie smiled for the first time in years.
But before he could start the engine, another message arrived.
A photograph.
Claire.
Alive.
Holding a newspaper dated that morning.
And beside her stood Marcus Reed.
May you like
The message below contained only five words:
YOUR LAWYER HAS YOUR WIFE.
