Chapter 6 - A Wife's Ultimatum
"Thanks, Clara, it was a blast. We really should get going before the kids get too cranky," Marcus said smoothly, taking the keys and hiding the manila folder behind my arm with a swift, practiced motion.
"Drive safe, Marcus. Tell Sarah—oh, I mean, tell your wife we said hello," Clara replied with a slight, almost imperceptible pause that sent a chill straight down my spine.
Marcus gave a tight, professional nod, walked down the porch steps, and headed toward his car parked on the gravel driveway. I stood frozen on the porch, the stolen manila folder burning a hole in my hand as I watched my friend's taillights disappear down the suburban street. When the sound of his engine faded into the distance, Clara stepped closer, the screen door swinging shut behind her with a soft click.
"What were you and Marcus discussing out here for so long, Ethan?" Clara asked, her voice dropping an octave into a low, menacing register.
"Just work stuff, Clara. You know how the precinct is—always needing help with administrative logs," I lied, slipping the folder into the waistband of my pants under my loose button-down shirt.
Clara stared at me for a long, agonizing moment, her gaze raking over my face as if she could read every lie written across my skin. "You're a terrible liar, Ethan. You've always been terrible at hiding things from me, ever since the day we met."
She reached out, her cool fingers lightly brushing against my chest right where the hidden manila folder was tucked against my spine. I forced myself not to flinch, holding her unblinking stare with every ounce of courage I had left in my body.
"Where is Lily?" I asked, changing the subject to regain control of the suffocating conversation.
"She's in her room, crying herself to sleep like she always does when she doesn't get her way," Clara said coldly, dropping her hand to her side. "Just like her grandmother used to do before she packed her bags and left this family in the middle of the night."
The words hit me like a physical blow. "Wait. You just said Sarah left in the middle of the night. A minute ago you didn't even acknowledge her name."
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Clara’s face hardened instantly, the mask of a doting suburban mother shattering completely to reveal the stranger underneath. "If you ever go behind my back and run background checks on my family with your cop friends again, Ethan, you won't just find out about Sarah. You'll find out what happens to people who stick their noses where they don't belong."
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