Chapter 6 - THE PHONELater that night, Claire couldn't sleep.
She rolled herself toward the hallway.
Then she heard Daniel's voice downstairs.
She stopped.
“I'm not leaving her tonight.”
A pause.
“No. Not yet.”
Claire's heart pounded.
Then Vanessa's voice came through the phone.
“Daniel, you promised me.”
Claire froze.
She backed away before they could see her.
She returned to the bedroom and locked the door.
Minutes later, Daniel came upstairs.
Claire pretended to sleep.
He stood beside the bed for several seconds.
Then he whispered:
“I'm sorry.”
Claire opened her eyes.
Daniel didn't notice.
He left.
She stared into the darkness.
For the first time, she wasn't thinking about saving her marriage.
She was thinking about protecting herself.
The next morning, Claire called the one person she hadn't spoken to in months.
Her father.
Jonathan Hayes.
A retired billionaire and one of the most feared businessmen in the state.
The man who had built an empire from nothing.
The man Daniel had spent years trying to impress.
“Dad,” Claire said quietly.
There was silence on the line.
Then Jonathan asked:
“What happened?”
May you like
Claire swallowed.
“Everything.”
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