Chapter 8: The Woman Who Had Been Watching Him
*Run. He knows everything.*
I stared at the message until the letters blurred.
My first instinct was disbelief.
Not because I trusted Andre.
Not anymore.
But because accepting the warning meant accepting something even worse.
That I had underestimated him.
For years.
Detective Hale watched my face carefully.
“Who sent that?””
I looked up.
“I don’t know.””
“Show me.””
I handed him the phone.
He read the message.
His expression became serious.
“Has this number contacted you before?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Last night.””
I told him everything.
The first message.
The drawer.
The photos.
Rachel.
The evidence.
Detective Hale listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he leaned back.
“There’s something you need to understand.””
“What?””
“People who hide things for years don’t usually stop because someone asks questions.””
My stomach tightened.
“You think he’s dangerous?””
The detective looked at me.
“I think you should take every precaution.””
That wasn’t a yes.
It wasn’t a no.
It was worse.
It was uncertainty.
And uncertainty was terrifying.
My phone buzzed again.
Another message.
This time from Andre.
*Please come home. We need to talk.*
I stared at it.
Three years ago, that message would have comforted me.
Andre wanting to talk.
Andre asking me to come home.
I would have seen it as proof that he cared.
Now it felt like a trap.
“I can’t go back there,” I whispered.
Detective Hale nodded.
“Do you have somewhere safe?””
I thought about my parents.
My mother’s keys in my hand.
Her voice.
If you need to leave, you leave.
“Yes.””
“Go there.””
“What about my things?””
“Things can be replaced.””
I looked down.
My wedding ring caught the light.
A small diamond.
A symbol of a promise.
A promise that had become heavier every day.
“Can I ask you something?””
“Of course.””
“If Ethan knew…”
I swallowed.
“If Ethan knew Andre was dangerous, why didn’t he tell me himself?””
Detective Hale was quiet.
Then he said:
“Maybe he tried.””
The words made me look up.
“What?””
He opened another file.
“We found multiple attempts by Ethan to contact people close to Andre.””
“People close to him?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
The detective looked at me.
“You.””
My heart stopped.
“Me?””
“He called your phone seven times the week before he died.””
I froze.
“That’s impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because I never received those calls.””
Detective Hale turned the folder around.
The call records were printed on the page.
Seven calls.
Same number.
Same date.
My name listed beside them.
I felt dizzy.
“I would have answered.””
The detective studied me.
“Are you sure?””
I looked at the records.
Then at him.
“I’m sure.””
A thought entered my mind.
A terrible thought.
“What if…”
My voice shook.
“What if someone stopped them?””
The detective didn’t respond.
Because he was thinking the same thing.
I drove to my parents’ house with my phone turned off.
Not silent.
Off.
I didn’t want to see another message.
I didn’t want to see Andre’s name.
I didn’t want to feel the pull of the person I used to love.
My mother opened the door before I knocked.
Like she had been waiting.
The second she saw my face, she knew.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
Those two words almost destroyed me.
Not because they hurt.
Because they were gentle.
I stepped inside.
And for the first time in years, I let myself stop pretending.
I collapsed into my mother’s arms.
“I don’t know him.””
She held me tightly.
“I know.””
“No, Mom.””
My voice broke.
“I really don’t know him.””
She didn’t say anything.
She just held me.
My father appeared in the hallway.
One look at my face was enough.
“What happened?””
My mother answered quietly.
“Not here.””
My father’s expression changed.
The protective father I had known my entire life appeared instantly.
“Did he hurt you?””
I looked away.
That was all the answer he needed.
His face turned pale.
“Where is he?””
“Dad.””
“No.””
His voice was controlled.
Too controlled.
“Where is he?””
“I don’t want you to do anything.””
“I’m not talking about doing anything.””
He looked at me.
“I’m talking about protecting my daughter.””
The words broke me.
Because I had spent so long protecting Andre.
And nobody had protected me.
That night, my mother helped me set up the guest room.
The room where I used to sleep as a teenager.
The room with old books on the shelf.
The room that still smelled like home.
I sat on the bed staring at the wall.
A few days ago, I was a married woman worried about covering a bruise before dinner.
Now I was hiding from my husband.
The transformation felt impossible.
My phone was on the dresser.
I hadn’t turned it back on.
But eventually, I did.
Not because I wanted to.
Because I needed answers.
Immediately, notifications flooded the screen.
Missed calls.
Messages.
Emails.
All from Andre.
I opened the first message.
*Please talk to me.*
The second.
*You don’t understand what happened.*
The third.
*I can explain everything.*
I almost threw the phone away.
Explain.
That word.
It had become meaningless.
Everyone explained.
Nobody changed.
Then a new message appeared.
Not from Andre.
Unknown number.
*I need to meet you.*
I stared at it.
*Who are you?*
The reply came.
*The person who helped Ethan before he died.*
My heart raced.
*Why should I trust you?*
A minute passed.
Then:
*You shouldn’t. Not yet.*
I frowned.
Another message followed.
*But you should know I was the one who sent the photos.*
I sat up.
*Who are you?*
Three dots.
Then:
*My name is Claire.*
I waited.
*Claire who?*
The response came slowly.
*Claire Bennett.*
The name meant nothing.
Until it did.
I remembered seeing it.
In one of the files from Andre’s office.
A payment record.
A signature.
A name.
I stood up.
My hands shaking.
*How do you know Andre?*
The answer appeared.
*Because I worked for him.*
I stared at the screen.
*And because I was there the night Ethan died.*
The next morning, I met Claire in a quiet park near my parents’ house.
I chose the location.
Somewhere public.
Somewhere safe.
When I saw her, I immediately understood why she had stayed hidden.
She looked nervous.
Not like someone trying to manipulate me.
Like someone who had been afraid for a long time.
She sat across from me.
“Simone.””
I nodded.
“Claire.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she said:
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at her.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
Her eyes lowered.
“I know.””
“Then tell me something useful.””
She nodded.
“I will.””
She reached into her bag and pulled out a folder.
Another folder.
Another secret.
I almost laughed.
“How many secrets does my husband have?””
Claire didn’t smile.
“More than you know.””
She opened the folder.
Inside were documents.
Emails.
Photos.
But one document caught my attention.
A company report.
A signature.
Andre’s.
And beneath it:
*Unauthorized transfer of funds.*
My stomach tightened.
“This is what Ethan found.””
Claire nodded.
“He was going to expose Andre.””
“Why didn’t he?””
“Because Andre found out.””
The wind moved through the trees.
I looked at her.
“How?””
Claire hesitated.
“Because I told him.””
The words stunned me.
“You?””
She nodded.
“I was Andre’s assistant.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Why would you warn him?””
“Because I thought I was protecting my job.””
She looked away.
“I didn’t realize I was putting Ethan in danger.””
The silence was heavy.
“What happened that night?””
Claire’s face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“I saw Andre leave the office.””
“When?””
“The night Ethan died.””
“Where was he going?””
She looked directly at me.
“To meet Ethan.””
My heartbeat stopped.
“But Andre said—”
“I know what he said.””
Claire leaned closer.
“He lied.””
I looked at the documents.
At the woman in front of me.
At the years of secrets.
Then Claire said the one thing I wasn’t prepared for.
“Simone, Ethan didn’t just leave evidence behind.””
“What?””
“He left a witness.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who?””
Claire looked around the park.
Then whispered:
“Someone who saw what Andre did that night.””
My phone suddenly rang.
I looked down.
The screen showed one name.
Andre.
I ignored it.
But seconds later, a voicemail notification appeared.
Claire watched me.
“Don’t listen here.””
“Why?””
Her face turned pale.
“Because if Andre knows you’re with me…”
May you like
She looked at my phone.
“…then he already knows where you are.””
