Chapter 16 - The Empty OfficeThe news of Martin's disappearance spread quickly, mostly through speculation. Daniel refused to add to it. The investigating detective, Officer Shaw, asked him to forward any message Martin might send and to avoid direct contact.

Ruth, meanwhile, appeared at the house with two bags of baby clothes. She stood outside the locked gate and pressed the bell until Nora came to the front window.

“Tell my son I brought gifts,” she called.

“Please leave,” Nora replied through the intercom.

“You're all turning him against his family.”

Nora kept her tone level. “He can make his own decisions. This property is not open to you.”

Ruth set the bags on the sidewalk and left. Emma watched from upstairs, Lily sleeping on her shoulder. The sight of Ruth's silver bun made Emma's knees go weak. Daniel didn't tell her to be brave. He stayed nearby until she asked him to take the baby.

A week later the bank confirmed unauthorized activity affecting the old company and the education account. Some funds had been frozen; other transfers were still being traced. There was no miraculous overnight recovery. The investigators needed time, and the family needed boundaries now.

Lucy found that Ruth had been using a private mailing address for years. It connected to a rented office near the storage facility. She passed the information to Officer Shaw instead of investigating herself.

That afternoon Emma met with her counselor. She spoke about the nightmare that kept waking her: Ruth reaching into the crib while Emma couldn't move. Her counselor helped her identify concrete ways to reclaim the room, and Emma decided to rearrange the furniture herself.

Daniel helped move the wardrobe only when she asked. They stood over the empty wall afterward, both sweating.

“Can we paint it?” Emma asked.

“Any color you want.”

“Yellow. Something that belongs to us.”

They were laughing over paint samples when Daniel's phone rang.

Officer Shaw sounded serious. “We located Martin. He's willing to give a statement.”

Daniel looked at Emma.

May you like

Billionaire’s Wife Kicked a Waitress in Front of 300 Elites—One Slap Exp...

The billionaire’s wife tried to kick a waitress in the face in front of 300 wealthy guests. But seconds later, she whispered three...

My Mother Grabbed My Wife by the Hair Over Cold Soup—But What My Father...

My mother grabbed my wife by the hair over a bowl of cold soup. And the most shameful part? For one terrible second, I almost defe...

My Parents Kicked My 6-Year-Old Daughter and Me Out on Christmas—Then I...

My mother kicked my six-year-old daughter out of Christmas dinner, never realizing I was the only reason she still had a house to...

“There's something else,” Shaw said. “He says your mother wasn't working alone—and he has an audio recording to prove it.”