CHAPTER 7 — THE MAN IN THE SNOW
Sarah stood frozen behind the curtain.
Her heart pounded so loudly she was afraid someone outside could hear it.
Victoria was standing in the snow.
Smiling.
And beside her was a tall man wearing a black coat.
A stranger.
Someone Sarah had never seen before.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Then Victoria slowly lifted her hand and waved.
Not like someone saying hello.
Like someone sending a warning.
Sarah stepped away from the window.
She grabbed her phone.
Her first instinct was to call the police.
But then she stopped.
She needed to know who this man was.
She needed answers.
Because deep down, she knew this was bigger than a cruel stepmother.
This was planned.
The next morning, Sarah went straight to the police station.
She showed them everything.
The recording.
The documents.
The pictures.
And finally, she told them about the man in the snow.
The officer looked through the files carefully.
"Do you know this person?"
Sarah shook her head.
"No."
"Did Victoria ever mention him?"
"Never."
The officer typed something into the computer.
A few seconds later, his expression changed.
Sarah noticed.
"What?"
The officer looked up.
"Are you sure you've never seen this man before?"
Sarah felt uneasy.
"Why?"
He turned the screen toward her.
There was a photograph.
The same man.
Standing beside Victoria.
But this picture was older.
Much older.
Sarah stared.
"Where did you get that?"
The officer answered quietly.
"From a previous investigation."
Her stomach dropped.
"Investigation into what?"
The officer leaned back.
"Victoria Bennett."
Sarah felt the room spin.
"What are you saying?"
The officer looked serious.
"Before she married you, she was involved in another family dispute."
Sarah swallowed.
"What kind of dispute?"
The officer hesitated.
"Child custody."
Sarah's face went pale.
"No..."
The officer continued.
"Another woman claimed Victoria tried to manipulate her child against her."
Sarah couldn't breathe.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The lies.
The fear.
The way Victoria knew exactly how to hurt Ethan.
She had done this before.
"Who is the man?"
The officer looked at the screen again.
"His name is Daniel Cross."
Sarah whispered.
"Why is he helping her?"
The officer didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
"Because he's her brother."
Sarah felt a wave of anger.
A family.
Two people working together.
Trying to destroy her.
The officer handed the papers back.
"Mrs. Carter, you need to be careful."
Sarah looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because if they were willing to do this once..."
He paused.
"They may be willing to go further."
That night, Sarah returned home.
She checked the locks.
She checked Ethan's room.
She thought she was prepared.
But she wasn't.
Because when she opened the front door...
She saw something sitting on the floor.
A small envelope.
With her name written on it.
Inside was one sentence.
May you like
Written by Victoria.
"Give me what I want, or you lose your son forever."
