The doctor did not speak immediately.
\nHe simply kept one hand resting on the folder between us.
\nThat silence frightened me more than anything he could have said.
\n\u201cDr. Bennett,\u201d I whispered, \u201cwhat was in the water?\u201d
\nHe removed his glasses.
\n\u201cLaura, before I answer that, I need to ask you something.\u201d
\nMy fingers tightened around the arms of the chair.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHow often have you been drinking whatever was in that glass?\u201d
\nI swallowed.
\n\u201cEvery night.\u201d
\nHis expression changed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d
\nI already knew he wasn\u2019t going to like the answer.
\n\u201cSix years.\u201d
\nHe stared at me.
\nNot politely.
\nNot professionally.
\nHe stared at me like I had just told him I had spent six years sleeping beside a loaded gun.
\n\u201cSix years?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nDr. Bennett pushed his chair back slightly.
\nThen he turned the laboratory report around so I could see it.
\nMost of the words meant nothing to me.
\nLong chemical names.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Numbers.
\nConcentrations.
\nBut one phrase had been circled in red.
\nSEDATIVE COMPOUND DETECTED.
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\n\u201cThe sample contains a strong prescription sedative.\u201d
\nI felt the room tilt.
\nI grabbed the edge of the desk.
\n\u201cA sleeping medication?\u201d
\n\u201cEssentially, yes. But the concentration is concerning.\u201d
\nI stared at the paper.
\nThree drops.
\nI had watched Derek place only three drops into the water.
\nThree tiny drops.
\nSix years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Every night.
\nThe doctor continued carefully.
\n\u201cAt this dosage, someone your age could experience deep sleep, confusion, memory problems, dizziness, weakness, and periods where you might be very difficult to wake.\u201d
\nSuddenly, pieces of my life began rearranging themselves inside my head.
\nThe mornings when I had woken with headaches.
\nThe strange bruises on my legs.
\nThe nights I could not remember falling asleep.
\nThe mornings Derek would laugh and say:
\n\u201cYou slept like a baby, my little wife.\u201d
\nMy little wife.
\nThe words that had once made me feel loved suddenly sounded like something whispered to a prisoner.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I pressed my hand against my mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould it kill me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Bennett hesitated.<\/p>\n
That hesitation answered before he did.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf enough were administered, especially combined with alcohol or certain medications, it could be dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why would someone give this to me every night?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I can tell you this.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice became firm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not consume anything you suspect has been tampered with.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone has been secretly giving you medication for years, you should not confront that person alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first moment I truly understood the situation.<\/p>\n
Until then, part of me had still been trying to explain Derek.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was harmless.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was herbal.<\/p>\n
Maybe there had been some ridiculous misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
But there was no innocent explanation for putting a sedative into someone\u2019s drink without telling them.<\/p>\n
Especially not for six years.<\/p>\n
I left the clinic with the report folded inside my purse.<\/p>\n
I sat in my car for almost twenty minutes.<\/p>\n
My hands were shaking too badly to start the engine.<\/p>\n
Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Derek.<\/p>\n
I stared at his name glowing on the screen.<\/p>\n
Normally, seeing it made me smile.<\/p>\n
That morning, I felt sick.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you, my little wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was warm.<\/p>\n
Gentle.<\/p>\n
Exactly the same voice I had trusted for six years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
Not long.<\/p>\n
Perhaps half a second.<\/p>\n
But now I noticed pauses.<\/p>\n
I noticed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cShopping?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you buy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the windshield.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
Then he laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou drove all the way downtown and haven\u2019t bought anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n
I had never told him I was downtown.<\/p>\n
The clinic was downtown.<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know where I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then another laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour location, sweetheart. Remember? We share locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had forgotten.<\/p>\n
Years ago, Derek had convinced me to activate location sharing on our phones.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor safety,\u201d he had said.<\/p>\n
If anything happened to either of us, we would always know where the other person was.<\/p>\n
At the time, I thought it was romantic.<\/p>\n
Now I realized Derek knew exactly where I had been.<\/p>\n
And possibly exactly which building.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome home. I\u2019ll make lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be there soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced the words out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I hung up.<\/p>\n
But I did not go home.<\/p>\n
Not immediately.<\/p>\n
I drove to a shopping center three miles away and walked through stores for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n
I bought a blouse I didn\u2019t want.<\/p>\n
A candle I didn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n
A bag of coffee.<\/p>\n
Anything that could make my shopping story believable.<\/p>\n
Only then did I return home.<\/p>\n
Derek was standing in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Cooking.<\/p>\n
The smell of garlic and butter filled the house.<\/p>\n
He turned when I entered.<\/p>\n
There he was.<\/p>\n
Tall.<\/p>\n
Fit.<\/p>\n
Still handsome at thirty-five.<\/p>\n
The same thick dark hair.<\/p>\n
The same peaceful face that had caught my attention in that yoga studio years earlier.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
For one terrible second, I wanted everything to be normal again.<\/p>\n
I wanted to run into his arms.<\/p>\n
I wanted the laboratory report to disappear.<\/p>\n
Instead, I smiled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n
He kissed my cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuccessful shopping trip?\u201d<\/p>\n
I lifted the bags.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved over them.<\/p>\n
Then to my purse.<\/p>\n
Only briefly.<\/p>\n
But I noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s for lunch?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed toward the stove.<\/p>\n
\u201cLemon chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
For the first time in six years, I wondered what else Derek might have been putting into my food.<\/p>\n
I told him I wasn\u2019t hungry.<\/p>\n
His smile faded slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always love my lemon chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had something while shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question came too quickly.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a sandwich.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced myself to laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek, are you interrogating me?\u201d<\/p>\n
That brought his smile back.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course not.\u201d<\/p>\n
He kissed my forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just curious.\u201d<\/p>\n
That afternoon, I began watching my husband.<\/p>\n
Really watching him.<\/p>\n
It is strange how much you can miss when you trust someone.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s kindness had always seemed effortless.<\/p>\n
But now I noticed how often he wanted to know exactly where I was.<\/p>\n
How he checked whether I had taken my vitamins.<\/p>\n
How he prepared almost every meal.<\/p>\n
How he insisted on handling our household paperwork.<\/p>\n
And especially\u2014<\/p>\n
how protective he was of my medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t worry about these things,\u201d he often said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll organize everything for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
For six years, I had thought that was love.<\/p>\n
Now I wondered whether it was control.<\/p>\n
That night, he brought me another glass.<\/p>\n
Warm water.<\/p>\n
Honey.<\/p>\n
Chamomile.<\/p>\n
Exactly as before.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrink up, my little wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He climbed into bed beside me.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Normally he would turn away and fall asleep.<\/p>\n
But that night, he stayed awake.<\/p>\n
I could feel him beside me.<\/p>\n
Watching.<\/p>\n
Five minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then ten.<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t you going to drink it?\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always drink it while it\u2019s warm.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
His face was relaxed.<\/p>\n
But his eyes weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not very thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Derek\u2019s smile disappeared completely.<\/p>\n
Only for a second.<\/p>\n
Then he reached for the glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere.\u201d<\/p>\n
He held it toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a few sips.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart pounded so loudly I was afraid he could hear it.<\/p>\n
I took the glass.<\/p>\n
Raised it.<\/p>\n
Pretended to drink.<\/p>\n
Then lowered it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
He watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter?\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several minutes later, I began pretending to grow sleepy.<\/p>\n
I let my breathing slow.<\/p>\n
I loosened my body.<\/p>\n
Eventually, Derek whispered my name.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n
A minute passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Then I felt the mattress move.<\/p>\n
Derek got out of bed.<\/p>\n
The bedroom door opened.<\/p>\n
Closed.<\/p>\n
I waited another thirty seconds.<\/p>\n
Then I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n
I slipped quietly out of bed and followed him.<\/p>\n
This time, he wasn\u2019t going to the kitchen.<\/p>\n
He walked downstairs.<\/p>\n
Past the living room.<\/p>\n
Past the dining room.<\/p>\n
Toward his office.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s office was the one room in the house he kept locked.<\/p>\n
He claimed it was because he stored client information there from the private yoga sessions he managed.<\/p>\n
I had never questioned it.<\/p>\n
Why would I?<\/p>\n
Tonight, he removed a key from his pocket.<\/p>\n
Unlocked the door.<\/p>\n
And went inside.<\/p>\n
I crept closer.<\/p>\n
The door remained open only a few inches.<\/p>\n
Through the gap, I saw Derek sitting at his desk.<\/p>\n
He opened his laptop.<\/p>\n
Then picked up his phone.<\/p>\n
He called someone.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body froze.<\/p>\n
A man\u2019s voice answered, too faint for me to understand.<\/p>\n
Derek lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Something was different tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went downtown today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees nearly gave out.<\/p>\n
He knew.<\/p>\n
Derek rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, she hasn\u2019t said anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The person on the phone spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Derek replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what the deadline is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deadline?<\/p>\n
What deadline?<\/p>\n
He looked toward the office door.<\/p>\n
I pulled back.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, there was silence.<\/p>\n
Then he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe documents aren\u2019t the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Documents?<\/p>\n
I leaned toward the gap again.<\/p>\n
Derek opened a drawer.<\/p>\n
He removed a folder.<\/p>\n
A thick folder.<\/p>\n
Then he said something that made every hair on my arms rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already signed most of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost gasped.<\/p>\n
Signed what?<\/p>\n
The voice on the phone answered.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. The villa hasn\u2019t transferred yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
My beachfront villa.<\/p>\n
Key West.<\/p>\n
My late husband\u2019s gift.<\/p>\n
The place Derek had always claimed he didn\u2019t care about.<\/p>\n
Derek continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house is easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe accounts will take longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
My savings accounts.<\/p>\n
I pressed one hand against the wall.<\/p>\n
The entire six years of our marriage suddenly looked different.<\/p>\n
The cooking.<\/p>\n
The massages.<\/p>\n
The medicine.<\/p>\n
The paperwork.<\/p>\n
The signatures.<\/p>\n
How many times had Derek placed documents in front of me late at night?<\/p>\n
\u201cInsurance forms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTax documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoutine bank papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
And how many times had I signed them while exhausted?<\/p>\n
While drugged?<\/p>\n
While barely remembering the next morning?<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe trusts me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man on the phone apparently said something funny.<\/p>\n
Because Derek laughed.<\/p>\n
Not the gentle laugh I knew.<\/p>\n
This laugh was different.<\/p>\n
Cold.<\/p>\n
Then he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always has.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped backward.<\/p>\n
My heel touched something.<\/p>\n
A small decorative table.<\/p>\n
The wooden leg scraped against the floor.<\/p>\n
SCRRRRAPE.<\/p>\n
Everything inside Derek\u2019s office went silent.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
Then\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t think.<\/p>\n
I ran.<\/p>\n
I reached the staircase and hurried upward, trying not to make noise.<\/p>\n
Behind me, the office door opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
His footsteps entered the hallway.<\/p>\n
I reached the bedroom.<\/p>\n
Jumped into bed.<\/p>\n
Pulled the blanket over myself.<\/p>\n
Closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Seconds later, the door opened.<\/p>\n
Derek entered.<\/p>\n
I forced my breathing to stay slow.<\/p>\n
He stood beside the bed.<\/p>\n
One minute.<\/p>\n
Maybe two.<\/p>\n
I could feel him looking down at me.<\/p>\n
Then his fingers brushed my cheek.<\/p>\n
Tenderly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy little wife,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
I almost screamed.<\/p>\n
Eventually he returned to bed.<\/p>\n
But I did not sleep.<\/p>\n
At six the next morning, Derek went jogging.<\/p>\n
The moment the front door closed, I moved.<\/p>\n
I entered his office using the spare key I had secretly taken from his key ring months earlier after once locking myself out of the house.<\/p>\n
I had completely forgotten I still had it.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
The office smelled like cedar and coffee.<\/p>\n
I went straight to the drawer.<\/p>\n
Locked.<\/p>\n
I searched his desk.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed a small key taped underneath the top drawer.<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I pulled it loose.<\/p>\n
It fit.<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
Inside was the folder.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
The first document had my name on it.<\/p>\n
LAURA HARRISON-RIVERS.<\/p>\n
The second had Derek\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The third contained the address of my Key West villa.<\/p>\n
I flipped faster.<\/p>\n
Property transfer documents.<\/p>\n
Bank authorization forms.<\/p>\n
Power-of-attorney papers.<\/p>\n
Insurance policies.<\/p>\n
Some contained my signature.<\/p>\n
Except\u2014<\/p>\n
I did not remember signing them.<\/p>\n
I grabbed my phone and began taking photographs.<\/p>\n
Page after page.<\/p>\n
Then I reached the final section.<\/p>\n
A life insurance policy.<\/p>\n
My name.<\/p>\n
My date of birth.<\/p>\n
Derek listed as beneficiary.<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
The amount was printed in bold.<\/p>\n
$2,500,000.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
Then I heard the front door open.<\/p>\n
Too early.<\/p>\n
Derek was back.<\/p>\n
I shoved the papers together.<\/p>\n
His footsteps moved through the foyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed the drawer.<\/p>\n
Locked it.<\/p>\n
My hands were trembling so badly I nearly dropped the key.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
Closer.<\/p>\n
I moved toward the office door.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed something on the bookshelf.<\/p>\n
A small black device.<\/p>\n
A camera.<\/p>\n
Pointed directly at the desk.<\/p>\n
My blood froze.<\/p>\n
Had he seen me enter?<\/p>\n
The footsteps stopped outside.<\/p>\n
The doorknob moved.<\/p>\n
I had nowhere to hide.<\/p>\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n
Derek stood there.<\/p>\n
Sweat darkened the collar of his running shirt.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved from my face\u2026<\/p>\n
to the open folder still partly visible beneath my hand.<\/p>\n
Then to the small key between my fingers.<\/p>\n
The gentle husband disappeared.<\/p>\n
No smile.<\/p>\n
No soft voice.<\/p>\n
No \u201cmy little wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just a stranger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing in here?\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced myself to stand straight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could ask you the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled the laboratory report from my robe pocket.<\/p>\n
I had carried it with me all morning.<\/p>\n
I placed it on his desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what\u2019s in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek stared at the report.<\/p>\n
Something changed in his face.<\/p>\n
Not shock.<\/p>\n
Not confusion.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
And that terrified me more than anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou followed me,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
Then closed the office door.<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
The sound of the lock turning made my stomach drop.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n
He faced me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t supposed to find out this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
I backed toward the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind out what?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy were you drugging me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are these documents?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho were you talking to last night?\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Then he said the one thing I never expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, I need you to understand something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis didn\u2019t begin with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person who wanted your money\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
My heartbeat thundered.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026was already in your life before I ever met you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek looked almost frightened now.<\/p>\n
For the first time, genuinely frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t supposed to marry you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My lips parted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was supposed to get close to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you to?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced toward the door.<\/p>\n
Then back at me.<\/p>\n
And whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYour late husband\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went completely silent.<\/p>\n
My husband had been dead for eight years.<\/p>\n
His relatives had barely spoken to me since the funeral.<\/p>\n
I stared at Derek.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would they send you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the villa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe villa isn\u2019t what you think it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cold spread through my body.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek took one step toward me.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe property your husband left you wasn\u2019t originally his.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could barely hear my own voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before Derek could answer\u2014<\/p>\n
his phone rang.<\/p>\n
He looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
And went pale.<\/p>\n
I had never seen Derek pale before.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He ignored me.<\/p>\n
The phone continued ringing.<\/p>\n
Finally, he answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could hear a voice shouting through the speaker.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s eyes moved toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. She knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said she knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
Then the voice became louder.<\/p>\n
Loud enough that I heard four words clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen finish it tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek immediately ended the call.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinish what?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed again.<\/p>\n
Fear.<\/p>\n
Real fear.<\/p>\n
But I couldn\u2019t tell whether he was afraid for me\u2014<\/p>\n
or afraid of what would happen if he refused.<\/p>\n
Then headlights swept across the office window.<\/p>\n
A car had entered our driveway.<\/p>\n
Derek rushed toward the blinds.<\/p>\n
He looked outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned toward me.<\/p>\n
For the first time since I had met him, Derek Rivers looked terrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura, listen to me carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Once.<\/p>\n
Twice.<\/p>\n
Then someone began pounding on the front door.<\/p>\n
BANG.<\/p>\n
BANG.<\/p>\n
BANG.<\/p>\n
Derek grabbed my shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not let them know you discovered the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is outside?\u201d<\/p>\n
BANG.<\/p>\n
BANG.<\/p>\n
BANG.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek!\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n
And finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man outside\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026is the man who paid me to marry you.\u201d<\/p>\n
And downstairs\u2014<\/p>\n
I heard the front door begin to open\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n