Chapter 14 - THE FINAL THREAT

The police found Marcus’s abandoned car the next morning. He was still in the area. Watching. Waiting.

We moved to a safe location under police protection. Vanessa was placed in a separate room, guarded around the clock.

I sat with Caleb in our room, reading him stories, trying to keep him calm. But every time there was a sound outside the door, he flinched.

"He’s coming, Daddy," Caleb whispered. "He’s coming for me."

"No," I said firmly. "He can’t get past the guards. He can’t hurt you. I promise."

That night, I received a message. Sent from a burner phone. To an old number I hadn’t used in years.

*You have destroyed everything I built. Now I destroy what you love.*

*Meet me at the bridge. The one where Emily died. Come alone. Bring the evidence. Or I kill the boy.*

My blood turned to ice.

He knew where we were. He knew everything.

I stood up slowly.

"Adrian?" Clara asked. She had been sitting by the door. "What is it?"

"He’s here," I said. "He wants to meet me at the bridge. Where Emily died."

"You can’t go," Clara said. "It’s a trap."

"I know," I said. "But if I don’t… he will come here. He will find a way to get to Caleb. And Vanessa. And everyone."

I looked at my son. Sleeping peacefully now, safe for the moment.

"I have to go," I said. "I have to lead him away. Give the police time to find him."

Clara gripped my arm. "And if he kills you?"

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"Then I die protecting my family," I said quietly. "Just like Emily did."

I left a note for the police. Telling them where I was going. What Marcus had said. Then I kissed Caleb’s forehead and slipped out into the night.