Chapter 3 - LIV
Claire's face went white when I said the name.
“Liv.”
She didn't respond.
“Claire.”
She looked at me.
“Where did you hear that?”
“The police found it carved into the shed wall.”
Her lips parted.
Then closed.
“Dad…”
“Who is Liv?”
Claire began crying.
“I thought she was dead.”
The room seemed to become colder.
“Who?”
“My friend.”
“What friend?”
“Olivia Carter.”
I waited.
“She was Ethan's first wife.”
I felt my stomach drop.
“Ethan was married before you?”
Claire nodded.
“I found out after our wedding.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“He said it was a mistake. He said the marriage lasted six months.”
“Is that true?”
“No.”
She wiped her eyes.
“It lasted three years.”
I stood.
“What happened to her?”
“Everyone thought she left.”
“Everyone?”
“Her family. Her coworkers. The police.”
“Why?”
“Because Ethan said she abandoned him.”
I stared at Claire.
“And you believed him?”
“I did.”
“What changed?”
“Her sister contacted me.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
I sat down again.
“What did she say?”
“She said Liv didn't leave.”
My heart began pounding.
“She said Ethan had hurt her.”
“How?”
“She wouldn't tell me over the phone.”
Claire looked at the door.
“She asked to meet me.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“A coffee shop.”
“What happened?”
“Ethan found out.”
I felt anger rise.
“How?”
“I don't know.”
“What did he do?”
“He came to the coffee shop.”
Claire's voice became barely audible.
“He didn't yell. He didn't threaten me.”
“What did he say?”
“He sat down beside me and smiled.”
She shuddered.
“He said, ‘You don't want to become another Liv.’”
I felt cold.
“What happened after that?”
“I stopped asking questions.”
“And then?”
“Three weeks later, his mother called me.”
“His mother?”
“She said Liv had been unstable.”
Claire shook her head.
“She told me to stop digging.”
I looked at her.
“Did you?”
“For a while.”
“Until?”
“Until I found the file.”
“What file?”
Claire reached beneath the mattress.
She pulled out a small envelope.
My hands tightened.
“What is it?”
“I stole it from Ethan's office.”
Inside were photographs.
Not of Liv.
Not of Claire.
Of several women.
Each photograph had a date written on the back.
Some showed women entering Ethan's house.
Others showed them leaving.
One woman appeared repeatedly.
A brunette in a blue coat.
“Who is she?”
“I don't know.”
I flipped another photograph.
A name was written beneath the date.
MARISSA.
Then another.
JENNA.
Then another.
LIV.
And finally—
CLAIRE.
I stared at my daughter's photograph.
It had been taken months before her wedding.
Someone had photographed her outside her workplace.
My blood turned cold.
“Where did you get this?”
“Ethan's desk.”
“Why were you searching his office?”
“Because I knew he was lying.”
She looked at me.
“And because I realized something.”
“What?”
“He didn't choose me because he loved me.”
“Then why?”
Claire swallowed.
“Because I reminded him of Liv.”
The door suddenly opened.
Detective Morales entered.
He looked at the photographs.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get these?”
Claire handed them to him.
He studied each one.
“Detective?”
He didn't answer.
“Morales.”
Finally, he looked at me.
“These names are familiar.”
“How?”
“Because two of these women reported Ethan to police.”
My heart stopped.
“What happened?”
“One withdrew her complaint.”
“And the other?”
“She disappeared.”
Claire whispered:
“Liv.”
Morales nodded.
Then he said something that made the entire room go silent.
May you like
“We've been looking for Olivia Carter for four years.”
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