Chapter 1 - The Fallen Envelope
I stared at the crumpled envelope resting on the concrete of Rittenhouse Square.
My name was written across the front in a handwriting I would recognize anywhere in the world.
It was Rachel's handwriting.
Noelle grabbed my shoulder, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my coat.
"Evan, what is going on, and who was that woman?" she demanded.
I ignored my fiancée completely as I bent down with trembling hands.
I picked up the envelope and noticed the postmark was dated exactly four years ago.
It was the exact same week Rachel had vanished from my apartment without a trace.
My heart hammered violently against my ribs as I tore the paper open.
Inside was a single sheet of stationary bearing my own personal corporate letterhead.
The words typed on the page made the blood freeze in my veins.
"Rachel, I am paying you to get rid of this problem because I will never claim these children."
"If you ever contact me or my new fiancée again, I will use my wealth to ruin you."
The signature at the bottom of the page was mine.
It was a flawless, undeniable forgery of my signature.
I could barely breathe as I realized I was holding the real reason Rachel had run away.
She had carried triplets for nine months believing the man she loved wanted them dead.
I looked up, scanning the crowded park, but she was completely gone.
Noelle snatched the envelope out of my numb hands before I could stop her.
I watched Noelle's eyes dart across the cruel words on the page.
May you like
Instead of looking shocked, a terrifying, cold smile crept onto my future wife's face.
"I always told my father she was entirely too clumsy," Noelle whispered.
