CHAPTER 5 — THE WOMAN I THOUGHT I MARRIED
Claire finally told me everything.
Three months earlier, Michael had approached her.
He knew about the trust.
He knew that if I died, Emily's inheritance would eventually become accessible to her.
But there was one obstacle.
Me.
Michael couldn't control the trust while I was alive.
So he wanted Claire to help him create evidence that I was unstable.
He wanted to make it appear that I was dangerous.
Then, if something happened to me, suspicion would fall on me.
Claire refused.
Michael threatened her.
He sent photographs of Emily.
Photographs taken without our knowledge.
Photographs from outside Emily's school.
Outside our home.
Even outside the hospital.
Claire had become terrified.
But instead of telling me, she made a terrible decision.
She tried to negotiate with Michael.
She believed she could protect Emily by cooperating just enough to keep him calm.
She was wrong.
“What did he want you to do at the pool?” I asked.
Claire began crying.
“He told me to scare you.”
“Scare me?”
“He wanted you to believe Emily had almost drowned because you weren't paying enough attention.”
“But you were there.”
“Yes.”
“And Marcus?”
Claire looked away.
“He was supposed to stop Michael.”
I stared at her.
“Then why didn't he?”
“Because Michael came earlier than expected.”
Suddenly everything clicked.
Marcus wasn't the mastermind.
He had been trying to protect Emily.
Michael had manipulated Claire.
And the pool incident was supposed to be a warning.
But something had gone wrong.
Emily had actually fallen into the water.
And I had come home unexpectedly.
I asked Claire one final question.
“Did Michael push Emily?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Then who did?”
Claire closed her eyes.
“I don't know.”
A silence filled the room.
Then my daughter appeared in the doorway.
She had been listening.
“Daddy?”
I turned.
She looked terrified.
“What happened, sweetheart?”
Emily looked at Claire.
Then she looked at me.
“The man who pushed me wasn't Uncle Michael.”
My blood froze.
“Who was it?”
Emily began to cry.
“He was wearing Daddy's blue jacket.”
I stared at Claire.
I owned a blue jacket.
Michael owned one too.
But there was something else.
Marcus had been wearing black.
Michael had been wearing gray.
Claire had been wearing white.
Someone else had been inside my house.
Someone who knew exactly what I wore.
May you like
Someone who had access to our home.
Someone we had forgotten to suspect.
