Instead, I became the person who called emergency services, stayed with her, spoke to paramedics, and created dozens of independent witnesses proving exactly where I had been.
My act of kindness hadn’t simply saved Eleanor from being alone during a terrifying moment.
It had destroyed the timeline of Marcus’s entire scheme.
But Marcus had disappeared.
His phone was off.
His car had been abandoned near the airport.
Claire stood trembling near the windows.
“I married him.”
Eleanor embraced her.
“You didn’t know.”
“I slept beside him.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I gave him everything.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“So did I.”
That evening, as investigators prepared to leave, Claire approached me.
“Christopher.”
I turned.
She looked exhausted.
“Technically…”
She gave a broken laugh.
“You’re family.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Neither did she.
Then my phone buzzed.
A text.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
