Chapter 3: Shadows in the City
Martha arrived in Chicago, a city of steel and stone that felt like a fortress. She checked into a cheap motel off I-90, the neon sign buzzing rhythmically outside her window. Using the burner phone, she began to piece together the digital breadcrumbs David had left. He had encrypted files on the phone—proof of embezzlement, money laundering, and the truth about the "accident" that took her husband years ago.
She learned that Evelyn was the heiress to a conglomerate that had orchestrated the downfall of her husband’s small business. David had married her to get close, to gather the evidence needed to bring them down from the inside.
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"He’s been playing them," Martha whispered to the empty room, a mix of pride and terror swelling in her chest.
But then, the phone rang. It wasn’t a text. It was a live call. A distorted voice—one she recognized as Evelyn’s hired muscle—spoke. "We know you’re in Chicago, Martha. We have the boy. If you want him to see his next birthday, you bring that bag to the docks at midnight."
