Chapter 2 - The Midnight Visitor
I stared at the insurance documents until the words blurred together.
They had been planning to kill my wife.
The humiliating comments and the constant abuse were just a distraction from their actual endgame.
I quickly stuffed the ledger and the insurance papers inside my jacket.
The sound of the bathroom door opening snapped me back to reality.
Greg stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.
I held my breath and pressed myself deep into the shadows of the hanging dresses.
Greg walked over to the closet and reached for a silk shirt just inches from my face.
He paused, sniffing the air as if he could sense someone else in the room.
My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket with a loud, buzzing notification.
Greg froze and reached his hand directly toward the dresses concealing me.
I did not wait for him to find me.
I lunged forward and shoved him hard against the wooden shelving unit.
He stumbled backward, crashing into a glass display case with a heavy thud.
I sprinted out of the closet and bolted down the grand staircase.
Greg shouted for security, but I was already out the front door and sprinting across the snowy lawn.
I reached my car, threw the engine into gear, and sped away from the estate.
I needed to get back to the motel, pack the car, and drive my family out of the state tonight.
I drove recklessly, running two red lights to get back to Emily and Lily.
I pulled into the motel parking lot and grabbed the stolen documents from the passenger seat.
I ran up the concrete stairs to the second floor.
When I reached our room, my stomach dropped.
The heavy wooden door was splintered and hanging wide open.
I rushed inside and found the room completely empty.
There was a fresh puddle of blood staining the carpet near the bathroom door.
My phone rang, displaying an unknown caller ID.
May you like
I answered it with a trembling hand.
A deep, mechanical voice told me that if I went to the police, they would send me my daughter in pieces.
