Chapter 3
4:00 a.m. The rain had stopped.
With trembling hands, I unlocked the front door.
My first thought was to run to Lily's room, to hold her tight.
I pushed the door open, but a voice cut through the darkness of the living room.
"Where did you go in the middle of the night?"
I froze.
A shadow was sitting in the armchair.
He stood up, stepping slowly into the light.
Silvan.
"Y-you..."
My mind went completely blank.
Then I threw myself at him, crashing into his chest and locking my arms around his neck.
The warmth of his body seeped through his shirt.
He was alive. He had a face. He wasn't that mangled heap of flesh in a body bag.
"You're alive... you're okay..." Tears spilled down my face. Lily still had a father.
He paused, then let out a soft sigh and patted my back.
"What are you talking about?" he chuckled, his voice dripping with that familiar charm.
"Honey, the flight was grounded because of a sudden weather delay. I'm right here, safe and sound."
A chill washed over me. It was like a bucket of ice water snapping me back to reality.
If he was standing here without a scratch... then who was the corpse at the lumber yard wearing his watch?
Silvan gently pulled away, his gaze dropping to my mud-caked boots.
"Where did you go in the middle of the night to get covered in mud?" he said, his voice dropping into a quiet cadence that made my skin crawl.
"I... I..." I stammered. “Lily had a nightmare. I drove to the 24-hour CVS to get her favorite gummy bears. But my tire got stuck in the mud near the road construction down the street. I had to get out and push.”
"Fine, Honey. I’m just glad you’re alright." Silvan stared at me, his gaze quiet.
Before he could speak, a tiny creak echoed from the hallway.
We both turned. Lily stood there in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes and clutching her stuffed bear.
"Mommy?" she whispered.
Then she looked up at Silvan, confused.
"Daddy, aren't we leaving tonight?"
My heart nearly stopped.
Silvan didn't blink. He just offered Lily a warm, gentle smile.
"Go back to bed, sweetie. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"Okay," she murmured, turning back toward her bedroom.
I stood frozen. A terrifying realization crashed over me.
Silvan had faked his death to steal my daughter, leaving me behind to mourn a nameless corpse.
But right now, my daughter and I were locked in the house with a monster.
"It's been a hell of a night," Silvan said smoothly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I'm going to take a hot shower."
He turned toward the master bedroom.
Soon, the steady hiss of the shower echoed from the bathroom.
Like a startled animal, I bolted into the bedroom.
His black leather suitcase sat untouched at the foot of the bed.
My hands shook violently.
If he had planned on running away tonight, there was something that had to be in this suitcase.
Silvan never went anywhere without his medicine case because he had a serious medical condition.
I yanked the suitcase zipper open and threw back the lid.
Inside lay his coat, a few shirts, and a toiletry bag.
I ripped open the toiletry bag, dumping the contents onto the bed.
Nothing.
The medicine case was gone.
Suddenly, the water in the bathroom stopped.