Chapter 3 - THE MAN WHO KNEW MY SECRET

The stranger stood in my doorway like he owned the place.

Tall.

Calm.

Dangerously comfortable.

“James Carter.”

Hearing my name from his mouth made my skin crawl.

“Who are you?”

The man smiled.

“My name doesn’t matter.”

I stepped between him and my son.

“Wrong answer.”

His eyes moved to Perrin.

“Still protective.”

I felt rage explode inside me.

“You know my son?”

The man didn’t answer.

That was answer enough.

I moved closer.

“You were here before.”

Rhea suddenly looked nervous.

“James, don’t do this.”

I turned.

“You knew him.”

Silence.

That was all I needed.

“You both knew him.”

The stranger sighed.

“This was never supposed to happen.”

“Neither was my son being locked behind a wall.”

For the first time, his expression changed.

A small crack in his confidence.

“Your son wasn’t supposed to find out.”

Those words sent chills through me.

I grabbed my phone.

“I’m calling the police.”

The man laughed softly.

“You should ask questions before you make mistakes.”

“I’m done listening.”

I turned away.

Then he said something that stopped me.

“Your wife didn’t disappear.”

I froze.

“She ran.”

I slowly looked back.

“Where is she?”

The man stared at me.

“Closer than you think.”

Rhea whispered:

“Stop.”

But he continued.

“She has been watching you.”

My heart started pounding.

“Why?”

The man smiled.

“Because she knows the truth about the accident.”

The room went silent.

The accident.

The accident that supposedly killed my wife.

The accident that destroyed my family.

The accident I had spent years blaming myself for.

“What truth?”

The man reached into his jacket.

And pulled out an old photograph.

He placed it on the table.

I walked closer.

Then I saw it.

A picture of my first wife.

Alive.

Standing beside someone I knew.

Someone who should never have been there.

Someone I trusted.

My hands began to shake.

Because behind my wife…

stood Rhea.

And she wasn’t a stranger.

She had been part of my life long before I ever met her.

The man leaned closer.

“Now you understand.”

I looked at Rhea.

She looked away.

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