“My attorney?”

I stared at Luca.

“Michael Grant has represented me for six years.”

Luca’s security chief, Marco, placed photographs on the table.

Daniel entering my townhouse.

Michael following him.

Another photograph showed them carrying boxes.

My boxes.

“What are they doing?”

“Destroying evidence,” Luca said.

“No.”

I shook my head.

“Michael told me to collect the financial records.”

“When?”

“Three weeks ago.”

“Did Daniel know?”

“Of course not.”

Luca leaned forward.

“Clare, think carefully. Who recommended Michael?”

The answer came too quickly.

“Daniel.”

Silence.

I closed my eyes.

“God.”

Luca pushed the laptop toward me.

“Open the memory card.”

The files appeared.

Bank transfers.

Property documents.

Insurance policies.

Then a folder I didn’t recognize.

CB_FINAL

I opened it.

My own signature stared back at me across dozens of documents.

“That isn’t mine.”

Luca leaned closer.

“You’re sure?”

“I know my signature.”

Marco spoke.

“They planned to make her responsible.”

I scrolled faster.

Millions of dollars.

Companies I had never heard of.

Then one document stopped me.

A life insurance policy.

My name.

Daniel as beneficiary.

I couldn’t speak.

Luca closed the laptop.

“Enough.”

“No.”

I reopened it.

“I want to see everything.”

His eyes met mine.

“Then we see everything.”

For the next two hours, we did.

No speeches.

No pity.

Just facts.

At midnight Marco received another call.

“We have a problem.”

Luca stood.

“What?”

“Bennett knows she survived.”

“How?”

“Someone at the roadside clinic talked.”

My phone suddenly vibrated.

Daniel.

I stared at his name.

Luca said nothing.

I answered.

“Hello?”

Silence.

Then Daniel spoke.

“Clare.”

His voice was soft.

“Where are you?”

“Safe.”

“With Moretti?”

I looked at Luca.

Daniel laughed quietly.

“You have no idea who that man is.”

“I know exactly what he is.”

“No, you don’t.”

“And I know what you are.”

His breathing changed.

“Come home.”

“No.”

“Clare.”

“No.”

“You’re confused.”

“I’m done being confused.”

I heard movement on his end.

Then Daniel said the wrong thing.

“Give Moretti the memory card and you’ll destroy both of us.”

The room went completely still.

I glanced at Marco.

He was already recording.

I spoke carefully.

“What memory card?”

Daniel realized his mistake.

Too late.

“Clare—”

“You said I disappeared from home.”

Silence.

“How would you know what I had with me?”

He hung up.

Marco stared at the phone.

“That was useful.”

For the first time since waking, I smiled.

Luca looked at me.

“What?”

“I think Daniel just discovered I’m not as stupid as he believed.”

“No.”

Luca’s expression softened.

“He discovered something worse.”

“What?”

“That you’re no longer afraid of him.”

A vehicle approached outside.

Marco moved immediately.

Luca stepped between me and the window.

“Stay here.”

“Who is it?”

Marco checked the security feed.

Then his expression changed.

“It’s not Bennett.”

“Who?”

He turned the screen.

A silver sedan waited outside the gates.

A woman stood beside it.

I recognized her.

Daniel’s mother.

And she was holding my wedding ring.