CHAPTER 1 — THE SECOND VOICE
CHAPTER 1 — THE SECOND VOICE
Claire replayed the file three times.
Each time, her body reacted the same way—cold fingers, tightened throat, and a growing disbelief that refused to settle into logic.
That wasn’t her voice.
But it was her voice.
She leaned back from the laptop, staring at the ceiling as if it might offer an explanation.
Arthur was upstairs.
Still asleep.
Or pretending to be.
The thought arrived uninvited, sharp and unwelcome.
She shut the laptop and carried it into the kitchen, placing it under the brighter light above the counter. As if illumination could expose whatever trick this was.
Then she noticed something she hadn’t before.
Metadata.
Her hands moved faster now, scrolling, clicking, opening details.
Each audio file had timestamps.
All recorded at night.
All while she was home.
Except…
Except she didn’t remember a single night in the past six weeks where she had left the bed.
Her chest tightened.
A quiet creak came from upstairs.
Claire froze.
Slow footsteps.
Not rushing.
Not hesitant.
Deliberate.
May you like
Arthur was awake.
And he was coming down.
