Chapter 4 - THE EXCHANGE
I pressed my hand against the cold window, my heart hammering against my ribs. Down in the hospital parking lot, Sarah leaned into the car, speaking quietly to whoever sat inside. I didn’t need to see Evelyn’s face clearly to know it was her—that sharp, arrogant profile, the tilt of her head as she listened, the way she reached out and took something from Sarah’s hand.
My deed.
Sarah had handed it over just like that.
The passenger window rolled up. The car pulled away, disappearing into the night. Sarah stood on the pavement for a long moment, staring after it, then turned and walked back toward the hospital entrance.
I scrambled out of bed, my legs trembling, and began dressing as quickly as I could. I couldn’t stay here. If Sarah was working with Evelyn… if she had the deed… then this room was no longer a safe place. It was a trap.
I pulled on the loose dress the hospital had provided, slipped my feet into soft slippers, and stuffed Julian’s list into the deepest pocket of my purse. I had no phone. No money. No identification. Sarah had taken everything “for safekeeping.”
Except the note.
That was still mine.
I cracked the door open and peered out. The guard Sarah had posted outside my room stood with his back to me, scrolling through his phone. I slipped into the hallway and hurried toward the stairwell, moving as quietly as my pregnant body would allow. Every step sent a dull ache through my hips, but I pushed on. I had to get out.
I reached the ground floor and stepped out through a side exit, emerging into the cool darkness of the hospital gardens. I didn’t know where to go. I had no car. No friends I could trust. Sarah had made sure of that—she’d positioned herself as my only lifeline, knowing full well I had nowhere else to turn.
Except Julian.
I pulled out my phone—Sarah had left it, thank goodness—and replied to his text.
*“They have the deed. Sarah gave it to Evelyn.”*
His reply came almost instantly.
*“I know. I saw the car. Stay exactly where you are. I’m coming for you. Do not move. Do not speak to anyone.”*
I stood beneath the overhang of a large oak tree, watching the hospital entrance, clutching my phone with both hands. Minutes stretched like hours. Every car that passed made me flinch. Every shadow made me jump.
Then headlights swept across the grass. A dark sedan pulled up the quiet drive and stopped right in front of me. The passenger window rolled down.
Julian leaned across the seat. “Get in.”
I didn’t hesitate. I pulled the door open and climbed inside. The car pulled away before I’d even closed it.
“Did she hurt you?” Julian asked, glancing at me quickly before returning his eyes to the road. “Did Sarah or Evelyn come back?”
“Not yet.” I gripped the edge of my seat. “She gave Evelyn the deed, Julian. Just handed it over.”
“I know.” His jaw tightened. “It’s not the first time she’s done business with them. Sarah has been Evelyn’s silent partner for years. She plays the loyal friend to you while protecting Evelyn’s interests behind the scenes. It’s how they operate.”
I stared at him. “You tried to warn me. And I almost believed Sarah.”
“Sarah is very good at what she does,” Julian said quietly. “She knows exactly what people need to hear to trust her. She told you exactly what you wanted to believe.”
I thought of Sarah’s story—of the money being leverage, of protecting me from being framed. It had sounded so reasonable. So noble. “She said she took the money to protect me. That she was keeping me safe.”
Julian’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “And did she show you the escrow account? The emails? The proof?”
Silence.
“Exactly,” he said. “Words are easy. Evidence is hard. Sarah has the deed now. And once Evelyn has it registered in her name… you’ll have nothing. No home. No assets. No legal standing to fight them.”
“Then we have to get it back.”
“We will,” Julian said. “But not tonight. Tonight we disappear. If Sarah reports you missing—and she will—every hotel, every friend’s house, every place you’ve ever visited will be watched. We need to go somewhere they’d never think to look.”
“Where?”
He glanced at me. “My father’s hunting cabin. Deep in the hills. It’s been in the family for generations. Evelyn hates the place. She’s never gone there. She doesn’t even know I still have the keys.”
I leaned my head back against the seat, exhaustion washing over me. “And you’re sure we can trust it?”
“I’m sure.” His voice was steady. “It’s the one place they haven’t touched. The one place their influence doesn’t reach.”
We drove in silence for a long time, leaving the city behind, winding through dark forests and up steep, curving roads. The farther we got from the hospital, the more my mind began to clear. I looked at Julian—at his profile, at the way he drove carefully and steadily, checking the mirrors constantly, watching for any sign we were being followed.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked him suddenly. “You’re risking everything. If Evelyn finds out… if Sarah tells them…”
Julian was quiet for so long I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then he said, “Because my father left me something too. Before he died, he gave me a letter. He told me if anything ever happened to him, I was to watch over you. To protect you and your inheritance. He said… he said you were the only decent thing left in this family.”
I turned to look at him fully. “Your father told you to protect me?”
“He knew Evelyn would try to take everything. He knew Sarah couldn’t be trusted. He knew Daniel would choose his mother over you.” Julian’s voice grew rough. “And he knew I was the only one who wouldn’t sell out.”
The confession hung in the air. I thought of all the small kindnesses Julian had shown me over the months—checking in when Daniel was absent, bringing me books, listening when I needed to talk. I’d thought he was just being polite. Family. But he’d been protecting me all along.
“Julian…”
“He also told me something else,” Julian said, his voice dropping so low I barely heard it over the hum of the engine. “He told me that the night he died… he wasn’t alone. There was someone else in the room. Someone who didn’t leave when Evelyn arrived. Someone who watched him die and said nothing.”
My blood ran cold. “Who?”
“He didn’t write a name. Just an initial. A.” Julian glanced at me. “Does that mean anything to you?”
I sat frozen. A. Ava. My name.
“That’s impossible,” I whispered. “I wasn’t there. I was visiting my father that weekend, yes—but I left hours before he died. The police confirmed it. My alibi was solid.”
“I know,” Julian said gently. “But what if you weren’t the only person with that initial? What if there was someone else? Someone whose presence would explain everything?”
Before I could ask more, headlights blazed behind us. A massive SUV had rounded the bend and was bearing down fast.
Julian’s eyes widened. “Hold on!”
He swerved sharply to the right. The pursuing vehicle roared past, then slammed on its brakes and began to turn, blocking the narrow road ahead. Julian slammed on the brakes too, bringing our car to a skidding halt.
Two men in dark clothing stepped out of the SUV. They stood in the center of the road, blocking our path. Julian reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a heavy flashlight.
“Stay in the car,” he said quietly. “Lock the doors. No matter what happens, do not come out.”
“Julian, don’t—”
May you like
But he was already opening his door. The men began walking toward us. And in the glow of their headlights, I saw something that turned my blood to ice.
One of the men reached into his jacket and pulled out a phone. On the screen, clearly visible, was a photograph of me. And beneath it, in bold red letters: DEAD OR ALIVE.
