Chapter 4: The Midnight Exchange
Maya knew she couldn't take on Mark and his mother alone. She needed leverage, and she needed the police. She didn't call 911—Mark monitored the house Wi-Fi. Instead, she used her work laptop, which had an independent cellular connection. She uploaded the nursery footage to a secure cloud link and sent it to the detective who had handled Eleanor’s "death" investigation five years ago.
She didn't run. She went to the garage. She knew Mark’s SUV was already gone; he’d taken it to move the car seat. She grabbed her own bicycle, pedaling furiously toward the main road, hoping to intercept them before they reached the highway.
The rain was blinding. She saw the SUV parked at the old estate gate—the property that officially belonged to a "holding company" but was actually the family's secret stronghold. She hid in the bushes, watching. Mark and Eleanor were arguing.
"You were supposed to wait!" Mark hissed.
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"The girl was going to catch on," Eleanor snapped. "I did what was necessary."
Maya realized with horror that they were planning to leave the country tonight. She had to act now.
