Chapter 3
The rain was pouring in heavy, relentless torrents over Fifth Avenue as Ethan’s black Maybach pulled up to the curb.
Ethan carried Lily wrapped inside his midnight blue tuxedo jacket, keeping her dry from the storm.
Sarah followed closely behind, carrying a worn canvas duffel bag containing Lily’s few belongings.
Inside the vehicle, Ethan’s private investigator, Marcus, was already sitting in the front passenger seat.
“Tell me you have the address, Marcus,” Ethan said, sliding onto the leather seat with his daughter in his lap.
Marcus turned around, handing a manila folder over the headrest.
“The facility in Upstate New York was cleared out three days ago, Ethan,” Marcus reported grimly.
“Cleared out? What do you mean cleared out?”
“Every patient was transferred, every record burned,” Marcus explained, tapping the file.
“It was an illegal offshore-funded care house owned by a shell corporation named Blue Iris LLC.”
Ethan opened the folder, his eyes scanning the corporate registration documents.
At the bottom of the page, listed as the primary managing director, was the signature of Chloe Montgomery.
“She kept my wife locked away while she slept in my house,” Ethan whispered, cold rage washing over him.
Lily snuggled deeper into Ethan’s chest, her tiny hands clutching his crisp white shirt.
“Daddy? Is Mommy coming home too?” Lily asked, her big brown eyes looking up at him in the dim light.
Ethan felt a tear slip down his cheek, brushing against the top of his daughter’s blonde head.
“I’m going to find her, Lily. I promise you, I’m going to find her.”
“We need to go to the penthouse first,” Sarah suggested from the rear seat.
“Why?” Ethan asked, looking up.
“Because before Clara was taken from the facility, she hid her journal inside the old family cabin in Vermont.”
“How do you know that, Sarah?” Ethan asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
May you like
Sarah pulled a small bronze key from her pocket, attached to a faded green ribbon.
“Because Clara mailed me this key two weeks ago with a letter that said: If I vanish again, give the key to Ethan on his wedding day.”
