CHAPTER 4: THE WOMAN WHO DIDN'T EXIST
CHAPTER 4: THE WOMAN WHO DIDN'T EXIST
Grant came home smiling.
He carried flowers.
Yellow tulips.
My favorite.
The gesture would have fooled anyone.
It almost fooled me.
"I'm sorry I've been stressed," he said.
"I booked dinner for Friday."
I forced a smile.
"That sounds nice."
He hugged me.
Long enough that I could smell another perfume beneath his cologne.
Not mine.
Sweet.
Expensive.
Floral.
He stepped back.
"You okay?"
"Just tired."
He studied my face.
Searching.
Testing.
Did he know?
Had he noticed the recorder in my pocket?
Instead he kissed Sadie.
Everything appeared normal.
Too normal.
Three days later my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
"Is this Nora Mercer?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"My name is Hannah."
The voice sounded nervous.
"I don't know how to tell you this..."
My heart slowed.
"I've been seeing your husband."
Silence.
"I didn't know he was married."
Every muscle in my body locked.
"What?"
"He told me he was divorced."
I closed my eyes.
"He said his ex-wife was mentally unstable."
The room tilted.
"He showed me documents."
"What documents?"
"He said the court would eventually give him full custody."
I couldn't breathe.
Hannah continued quietly.
"When I found your wedding photos online... I realized he'd lied."
My voice barely worked.
"Why are you calling me?"
"Because..."
She started crying.
"I'm pregnant."
We met the next afternoon in a quiet café forty miles away.
Hannah looked younger than I expected.
Maybe twenty-eight.
No designer clothes.
No heavy makeup.
Just terrified.
She slid her phone across the table.
"I saved everything."
Texts.
Photos.
Hotel receipts.
Bank transfers.
Grant had rented an apartment under another name.
He told Hannah he traveled for work.
He promised they'd move in together after the custody battle.
"He said you were dangerous."
The words hurt less now.
Because I'd already seen the script.
Grant wasn't inventing lies for me.
He reused them.
Like sales pitches.
Then Hannah showed me one final screenshot.
Grant had texted her only the night before.
Soon she'll disappear from our lives for good.
Just be patient.
A cold chill climbed my spine.
Disappear?
What exactly did he mean?
Before I could answer my own question...
My father's truck pulled into the parking lot.
He walked inside.
Took one look at Hannah's frightened face.
Then at the screenshots.
Without saying a word, he removed his reading glasses, folded them carefully, and slipped them into his shirt pocket.
That was how I knew he was furious.
Because Dad only took off his glasses when he was about to fix something...
Or destroy it.
He looked directly at me.
"We're done reacting."
Then he looked at Hannah.
"From this moment forward..."
May you like
His voice became calm.
"...we're the ones setting the trap."
