CHAPTER 2 — The Truth Beneath the Bed
CHAPTER 2 — The Truth Beneath the Bed
Olivia pressed both hands over her mouth so tightly that her fingernails dug into her skin.
Every instinct screamed at her to crawl out, to slap Ethan across the face, to demand an explanation.
But another instinct—one far older, one born from survival—told her to stay perfectly still.
She forced herself to breathe through her nose.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Above her, the voice on the speakerphone continued.
"Did you destroy the original will?"
Olivia's heartbeat stopped.
Will?
What will?
Ethan answered without hesitation.
"Not yet. It's in the safe deposit box. Once the transfer is complete, we'll replace it."
Madison laughed.
"I still can't believe she signed everything without asking questions."
Ethan chuckled.
"People in love don't read fine print."
The words sliced through Olivia like a knife.
For three years Ethan had played the perfect boyfriend.
He remembered birthdays.
Brought flowers after difficult workdays.
Cooked dinner every Friday.
Held her hand during her mother's funeral.
None of it had been real.
It had all been calculated.
The man she loved had been studying her.
Learning exactly how to manipulate her.
The speakerphone crackled again.
"What about the insurance policy?"
Ethan answered calmly.
"It became active the moment we signed the marriage certificate."
Olivia felt the air leave her lungs.
Insurance?
The voice continued.
"Excellent. If everything goes according to schedule, she'll disappear before the month ends."
Disappear.
Not divorce.
Not separation.
Disappear.
Madison hesitated.
"Are we sure we have to go that far?"
There was a brief silence.
Then the voice spoke in a tone so cold it barely sounded human.
"She owns everything."
"The resort investment."
"The Tennessee property."
"The lake house."
"The trust fund."
"As long as she's alive, nothing belongs to us."
Olivia's blood turned to ice.
She suddenly understood why Ethan had insisted every purchase remain in her name.
Every asset.
Every loan.
Every insurance policy.
He had never intended to build a future with her.
He had been assembling an estate.
One that would become his after she died.
Her hands began shaking uncontrollably.
She dug her fingers into the carpet to steady herself.
Above her, Ethan opened the bedside drawer.
Paper rustled.
"I found the notarized file."
Madison asked quietly,
"Does she suspect anything?"
"No."
He laughed.
"She thinks tonight is our honeymoon."
The room erupted in laughter.
Olivia silently cried beneath the bed.
Not because she still loved Ethan.
But because she suddenly realized she had never known him at all.
Then came another sentence.
One that changed everything.
"Tomorrow morning," the voice ordered, "drive her to the mountain overlook."
Madison sounded confused.
"The overlook?"
"It's isolated."
"No cameras."
"No witnesses."
May you like
Olivia's heart nearly stopped.
She wasn't supposed to survive the honeymoon.
