Chapter 10 - The Unfinished Business
I stared at the mysterious black box, a sudden chill running down my spine.
Zachary instinctively stepped in front of me, his relaxed posture shifting into a defensive stance.
"Did you order something?" he asked quietly, his eyes scanning the empty, silent hallway.
"No," I whispered, my heart rate beginning to climb.
He carefully picked up the velvet box, checking the sides for any labels or markings.
Finding nothing, he slowly opened the lid, revealing the contents under the bright hallway lights.
Inside the box was a pristine, polished silver wedding band.
It was exactly the same ring Andrew had supposedly taken to be resized before the wedding.
But the ring was resting on a bed of dried, dark blood, emitting a faint, metallic odor.
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand as a wave of pure nausea washed over me.
Zachary used his pen to lift the ring, revealing a small, folded piece of thick stationary paper hidden underneath.
He unfolded the paper, and my blood ran completely cold as I recognized the sharp, jagged handwriting immediately.
It was the handwriting of my estranged father, a dangerous man I had fled across the country to escape fifteen years ago.
I leaned in, my hands trembling uncontrollably as I read the short, terrifying message written in dark red ink.
"You survived those amateurs, my sweet daughter, but you will not survive me."
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"Zachary is not a hero, and your little patient’s accident at the park was not a mistake."
I looked up at Zachary, the man who had just saved my life, suddenly wondering if he was the one who actually set the trap.
