Chapter 3: The Policy
The office door opened three inches.
I was standing beside the desk, my hand still resting on the back of the chair, when Liam looked in.
He wasn't holding anything.
His hair was still damp from the shower, and he had changed into jeans and a gray sweater. He looked so ordinary that for one wild second I wondered whether I had imagined the entire thing.
Then his eyes landed on the filing cabinet.
The smallest flicker passed across his face.
“Claire?””
I smiled.
“Hey.””
He pushed the door open.
“What are you doing in here?””
“Looking for the spare batteries.””
His gaze moved to the shelves.
Then the desk.
Then me.
He didn't look convinced.
“I thought you said they were in the kitchen.””
“I checked there.””
“And?””
“I couldn't find them.””
He stepped farther inside.
“Why didn't you ask me?””
I shrugged.
“You weren't supposed to be home yet.””
His eyes narrowed.
“I finished early.””
“That's nice.””
Silence.
The phone in my pocket felt like a stone.
The anonymous message remained open on the screen.
*Ask Liam why he took out a $250,000 life insurance policy on you.*
I had no idea who had sent it.
I had no idea if it was true.
But there was one thing I knew.
Liam was watching me like he was trying to read my thoughts.
“Did you find the batteries?”” he asked.
“No.””
“Come on.””
He walked toward the door.
I followed.
As we entered the hallway, he casually reached for my hand.
I let him take it.
His fingers wrapped around mine.
A month ago, that would've made me feel safe.
Now it felt like a handcuff.
“Claire,” he said softly, “you've been acting strange.””
“I've been tired.””
“It's more than that.””
I looked at him.
“Maybe I'm just tired of being alone.””
His expression tightened.
“You're not alone.””
“You're here now.””
“I mean it.””
“Do you?””
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Liam stared at me.
Then he smiled.
Not warmly.
Carefully.
“What's that supposed to mean?””
I shook my head.
“Nothing.””
He released my hand.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then his phone buzzed.
He checked it.
His face immediately changed.
A smile.
Tiny.
Automatic.
The same smile I'd heard in his voice during that phone call.
He locked the screen.
“Work?””
“Yes.””
“Still?””
“Yes.””
“Must be important.””
“It is.””
He started downstairs.
I followed.
At the bottom of the stairs, Hailey began crying from the nursery.
“I'll get her,” Liam said.
“No.””
He stopped.
“I'll do it.””
Something flashed in his eyes.
Annoyance.
Then it vanished.
“Sure.””
I went into the nursery and lifted Hailey.
Liam stood in the doorway.
“She looks like you,” he said.
I looked at him over her head.
“Does she?””
“Yeah.””
He smiled.
“She has your eyes.””
For some reason, that sentence hurt.
Maybe because I'd spent the last three months imagining a future where Hailey would grow up believing her father loved us.
Maybe because I was no longer sure he did.
I carried her downstairs.
Liam followed.
At dinner, he barely ate.
He kept checking his phone under the table.
I watched him do it three times.
On the fourth, I said, “You can answer it.””
He looked up.
“What?””
“Your phone.””
“It's nothing.””
I smiled.
“You say that a lot.””
His fork stopped halfway to his mouth.
“What?””
“Nothing.””
He put it down.
“You've been doing this all day.””
“Doing what?””
“Making comments.””
“I didn't realize.””
“You're angry with me.””
I looked at Hailey, who was lying in her portable bassinet beside the table.
“No.””
“Then what's wrong?””
I took a breath.
“What would you do if someone you loved lied to you?””
His face went completely still.
“What kind of lie?””
“A big one.””
He leaned back.
“I'd want to know why.””
“And if the reason was that they didn't love you anymore?””
He stared at me.
Then he said, “I'd let them go.””
My chest tightened.
“Just like that?””
“What else would you do?””
“I don't know.””
“You can't force someone to stay.””
He picked up his fork again.
“People change.””
I looked at my husband.
“Do they?””
His eyes met mine.
“Yes.””
I nodded slowly.
“That's true.””
He smiled.
But it didn't reach his eyes.
That night, Liam took his phone into the bathroom.
He never used to do that.
I sat on the edge of our bed and listened to the shower running.
My hands were trembling.
I opened the message again.
*You have no idea how bad this really is.*
I typed:
*What does the policy say? Who is the beneficiary?*
The response came immediately.
*Your husband.*
I stopped.
A second message followed.
*But that's not the part you need to worry about.*
I stared at the screen.
*What is?*
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Nothing came.
I waited.
Finally, another message:
*Check the date it was purchased.*
My stomach tightened.
I pulled up the photos I'd taken in Liam's office.
The insurance documents weren't there.
Only the anonymous message had mentioned the policy.
Maybe this was a setup.
Maybe someone was trying to destroy my marriage.
Maybe Megan was involved.
Maybe Liam had enemies at work.
Maybe someone was blackmailing him.
I was desperate for any explanation that didn't involve what my instincts were already telling me.
The shower stopped.
I locked my phone.
A few seconds later, Liam walked out wearing a robe.
He looked at me.
“Still awake?””
“Yeah.””
“Everything okay?””
“I'm fine.””
He dried his hair with a towel.
Then his phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
“Who keeps texting you?”” I asked.
He looked up sharply.
“What?””
“Your phone.””
He turned the screen toward me.
No notification was visible.
“I don't know.””
“Can I see it?””
For one second, I thought he'd refuse.
Instead, he smiled.
“Why?””
“No reason.””
“Then why do you need to see it?””
“I don't.””
He placed the phone face down.
“Good.””
My heart began pounding.
I lay down and turned toward the window.
Liam switched off the lamp.
The room became dark.
His breathing slowly settled beside me.
I waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
When I was certain he was asleep, I reached for my own phone.
The unknown number had sent another message.
*Tomorrow, 10 a.m. Hawthorne Grand Hotel. Coffee shop downstairs. Come alone.*
I stared at it.
Then:
*I'll tell you everything.*
I didn't sleep.
At 8:15 the next morning, Liam kissed me goodbye.
“I have an early meeting.””
“Where?””
“The office.””
“Of course.””
He frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“Have a good day.””
He hesitated.
Then he kissed Hailey on the forehead.
“Love you.””
He left.
I watched his car disappear down the street.
Then I went upstairs.
My hands were shaking as I opened the closet.
I pulled out a dark coat and slipped my phone into the pocket.
I didn't tell anyone where I was going.
At 9:42, I parked three blocks from the Hawthorne Grand.
I didn't want Liam to see my car.
The coffee shop was crowded.
Business people.
Tourists.
A mother with two children.
I stood near the entrance, scanning faces.
Then a woman at a corner table lifted her hand.
Blonde hair.
Pale blue sweater.
Diamond bracelet.
Megan Carter.
My husband's department director.
She gave me a sad smile.
“Claire.””
I couldn't move.
She stood.
“Sit down.””
I walked toward her slowly.
“Why are you here?””
She looked around before answering.
“Because I made a terrible mistake.””
“What mistake?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I believed Liam loved me.””
My stomach dropped.
She reached into her handbag and placed a thick envelope on the table.
“This is everything I have.””
I didn't touch it.
“What is it?””
“Proof.””
“Of what?””
She swallowed.
“That your husband has been lying to both of us.””
I stared at the envelope.
Megan lowered her voice.
“And Claire…”
“What?””
She leaned closer.
“Please don't tell Liam that you know.””
“Why?””
Her face went pale.
“Because if he realizes you've found out, you're not safe.””
I felt the room tilt.
“What are you talking about?””
Before she could answer, her eyes moved past my shoulder.
All the color drained from her face.
I turned.
And through the coffee shop window, parked across the street, was Liam's black SUV.
May you like
He was sitting inside.
Watching us.
