Chapter 1 - The Woman Behind the Door
I closed the bedroom door without making a sound.
Mara flinched when the latch clicked.
I had known her for almost three years.
She had cared for my oldest son before he died shortly after birth.
She had remained with us through Claire’s second pregnancy.
She had been in the hospital when Noah and Ethan, our newborn twins, were delivered six weeks earlier.
Never once had I seen her afraid of me.
Tonight, she looked afraid of everything.
I carefully removed the carrier holding Noah against her chest.
His tiny face was red from crying.
His brother stirred against Mara’s side.
“When did you last eat?”
Mara shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“When did she tie you here?”
“Last night.”
My jaw tightened.
“Claire did this herself?”
“She had help.”
That answer hit harder than I expected.
“Who?”
“I don’t know his real name.”
My stomach twisted.
“What do you mean?”
Mara looked toward the bathroom.
“There’s a man who comes here when you’re traveling.”
The bedroom suddenly felt smaller.
I was away often.
My construction company had projects in four states.
Claire regularly encouraged those trips.
I had always believed she wanted me focused on work.
Mara saw understanding beginning to form on my face.
“It isn’t what you think.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“He isn’t her lover.”
She paused.
“He’s worse.”
I sat across from her.
“Start talking.”
Mara’s voice trembled.
“Three months ago, I saw Claire give him a folder from your office.”
“What folder?”
“I couldn’t see everything.”
“But I saw insurance documents.”
My heart kicked.
“What insurance documents?”
“Yours.”
Silence filled the room.
Mara continued.
“I asked her about it.”
“She told me I misunderstood.”
“Then she doubled my salary.”
I stared at her.
“You took the money?”
“For two weeks.”
Shame moved across her face.
“Then I tried to quit.”
“And she wouldn’t let you.”
Mara shook her head.
“She told me she knew which hospital my daughter used.”
I remembered Mara’s eight-year-old daughter, Lily.
She had a congenital heart condition.
“She threatened Lily?”
“She didn’t have to.”
Mara’s eyes filled.
“She showed me a photograph of Lily sleeping in her hospital bed.”
My hands slowly curled into fists.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because two days later Lily’s treatment authorization disappeared.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“The hospital said there was a paperwork problem.”
“Her surgery was delayed.”
Mara stared at me.
“Claire told me delays could become permanent.”
The world inside my head went quiet.
Then I heard tires crunching over gravel outside.
Mara’s face went white.
“She’s back.”
I looked through the curtains.
May you like
Claire’s black SUV rolled through the gates.
And another vehicle followed behind her.
