Chapter 4 - THE WIFE HE NEVER MENTIONED
The detective’s words did not make sense at first.
Daniel’s legal wife.
I stared at her as if she had spoken another language.
“That’s impossible,” I said.
“I’m sorry.”
“We’ve been married for four years.”
“Your marriage certificate is valid,” Detective Hale said carefully. “But records show Daniel Carter married Mara Ellison in Nevada nine years ago. There is no divorce filing.”
My mouth went dry.
“So he’s a bigamist?”
“Possibly. We’re still confirming the details.”
Possibly.
As if there were a version of this where Daniel had accidentally married two women.
I felt sick.
Not just because he had lied.
Because suddenly, every part of my life had to be examined again.
Our wedding.
The honeymoon.
The day I made him president of Bennett Development Group.
The day I allowed him to move into my home.
The day I agreed to let Patricia stay in the guest wing.
Had any of it been real?
Or had I been selected?
Detective Hale continued.
“Mara Ellison has a history of financial litigation. She was involved in several fraud cases in California, although no criminal conviction appears in the records.”
“Where is she now?”
“We don’t know.”
“Does Daniel know where she is?”
“Probably.”
My phone buzzed.
Ashley.
I hesitated before answering.
“Claire?” Her voice was shaking.
“Yes.”
“I’m at the station. They let me make one call.”
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” She took a breath. “Daniel is telling everyone you had a breakdown. He says you’ve been paranoid for months.”
“Of course he does.”
“Claire… I remembered something.”
“What?”
“Last summer, Daniel took Mom to Napa for a weekend. He said it was a business trip.”
“And?”
“I saw a woman with them at the airport. Dark hair. Maybe forty. She hugged Daniel before they went through security.”
“Mara?”
“I don’t know. But Mom called her ‘family.’”
My stomach turned.
“Did you hear anything else?”
Ashley lowered her voice.
“Daniel said, ‘Once the baby comes, it will all be clean.’”
I closed my eyes.
The baby.
Not just me.
My son had been part of their plan from the beginning.
They wanted me dead, Daniel in control, and a child too young to fight for the inheritance that belonged to him.
Detective Hale heard enough to understand.
“Put the call on speaker,” she said.
Ashley repeated everything.
Then she added something that made my blood run cold.
“There’s a locked cabinet in Mom’s bedroom. I told Claire about it before she fell. It has papers in it. Maybe letters. Maybe documents.”
Detective Hale stood immediately.
“We need a warrant.”
“I own the house,” I said. “You have my consent.”
Within forty minutes, detectives were in Patricia’s bedroom.
I stayed downstairs because the stress was making my stomach cramp, and the doctor had warned me to avoid any more excitement.
But when Detective Hale came back, she was carrying three evidence bags.
The first contained documents from a company I had never heard of: Ellison Family Holdings LLC.
The second held copies of forged powers of attorney bearing my name.
The third held photographs.
One showed Daniel standing beside Mara Ellison outside a courthouse.
Another showed Patricia holding a newborn baby.
My baby.
No.
Not my baby.
The date on the photograph was seven years old.
The child belonged to Mara and Daniel.
I stared at the picture.
Daniel had a daughter.
A daughter he had hidden from me for four years.
And Patricia had known all along.
But the final document was worse.
It was a handwritten letter from Mara to Patricia.
The detective read it aloud.
Patricia, Daniel says Claire will be easier than the last one. She has more money, more property, and no family close enough to interfere. Once she is gone, we can bring Ava into the trust and nobody will question it.
I could not breathe.
“The last one?” I whispered.
Detective Hale folded the letter.
“We’re investigating that now.”
Then my phone rang again.
This time, the number was unknown.
I answered without thinking.
A woman spoke in a low, steady voice.
“Claire Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Mara Ellison.”
Every muscle in my body locked.
“I know who you are.”
“I’m sure you do by now,” she said.
“Where are you?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to the police.”
She gave a quiet laugh.
“You still think Daniel is the danger?”
My skin went cold.
“What do you mean?”
Mara’s voice changed.
“Daniel is greedy. Patricia is cruel. But neither of them is smart enough to build this alone.”
Then she said the words that would change everything.
May you like
“Claire, if you want to survive, do not let your husband know where you are going to have that baby.”
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