Chapter 9 - Returning Home To An Empty, Cold House
Beck unlocked the front door of his rental house, expecting to find the comforting warmth of dinner and his daughter's laughter.
Instead, the apartment was dead silent, bathed in the gray shadows of the approaching evening storm outside.
He walked into the master bedroom, finding Talia’s closet half-empty and her suitcase missing from the top shelf.
On the wooden nightstand sat a single white envelope addressed to him in Talia’s neat, familiar handwriting.
His hands shook as he tore the envelope open, pulling out a short letter written in tear-stained ink.
“Beck, I can’t live in the shadow of your mother’s lies anymore, and I won't let her use me to destroy you.”
“I’ve taken Wren to stay at my sister’s place in Dayton until you sort out the legal mess with the auditor.”
“Please don't come looking for us right now; I need time to breathe without fearing the next shoe to drop.”
Beck dropped the letter onto the bed, a wave of cold panic washing over him as he realized what he stood to lose.
He had spent days investigating the conspiracy, forgetting that the real victim of the war had been sitting right beside him.
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He grabbed his car keys from the kitchen counter and sprinted out the front door toward his waiting sedan.
As he sped out of the driveway, his phone began ringing persistently with an unknown number flashing on the screen.
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