Chapter 1 — The Ring on the Table
Arthur didn't notice the silence until he unlocked the front door.
Normally, Claire would have music playing while she worked, something soft drifting through the kitchen. Even after an argument, she always left a light on.
Tonight, the house felt abandoned.
"Claire?" he called, tossing his keys onto the hallway table.
No answer.
He walked into the kitchen and stopped.
Her wedding ring rested in the middle of the breakfast table.
Beside it sat the coffee mug he had thrown only hours earlier. A dark stain still marked the wood where the scalding coffee had spilled. Someone had carefully placed a folded white towel beneath the mug, preserving the evidence instead of cleaning it away.
Arthur frowned.
"What kind of childish game is this?"
He picked up the ring, expecting his phone to buzz with an apology. Claire had always come back before.
She always forgave him.
Brooke wandered into the kitchen carrying shopping bags.
"So?" she asked casually. "Did she finally come to her senses?"
Arthur held up the ring.
"She left."
Brooke rolled her eyes.
"She'll be back by tomorrow. She has nowhere else to go."
Arthur wanted to believe her.
Instead, something caught his attention.
The framed deed to the house that had always hung beside the pantry was gone.
"So are the insurance files," he muttered.
"What?"
"The safe."
He hurried into the study.
The small wall safe stood open.
Not forced.
Unlocked.
Every document related to the property had disappeared.
Only one envelope remained.
His name was written neatly across the front.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
You always believed this house was yours because I never corrected you.
Tomorrow, someone else will.
Arthur read the note twice.
For the first time that day, the confidence drained from his face.
May you like
Outside, headlights swept across the front windows.
A tow truck slowly pulled into the driveway.
