“I came home,” I whispered.
My phone, still in my hand, buzzed.
For a moment, I thought it might be Julian.
It was not.
It was Chloe.
The message contained no photo this time. No laughing face. No victory sign.
Only seven words.
“I can tell you where he hid everything.”
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
“But I want protection from your father.”
My breath slowed.
Before I could respond, a third message appeared.
“And Clarissa… Julian never married you for love.”
A coldness spread through me.
I rose from the bed and walked toward the study.
My father stood near the window, speaking to Evelyn in a low voice. He stopped when he saw my face.
“What happened?” he asked.
I handed him the phone.
He read the messages.
For the first time that night, Arthur Vance looked truly disturbed.
Not angry.
Disturbed.
Evelyn took the phone next. Her expression hardened as she read the last line.
