The smell of disinfectant burned my nose as I paced the hospital corridor. Delilah’s sobs drifted from the room, while Leo’s cries had weakened to a raspy whimper. Doctors were still running tests, and my heart felt like it was splitting apart.
My phone buzzed. Irritated, I answered without checking the screen. “What is it? I’m busy.”
“Sir…” the butler’s voice came through, shaking.
“I said I—”
“Sir, please listen. There’s been an accident.” He swallowed. “Miss Eleanor was in a car crash.”
I stopped cold. “What are you saying?”
A long pause. Then, barely audible:
“She didn’t make it.”
Nathaniel froze, the phone pressed so tightly against his ear that his knuckles whitened.
“Are you trying to make some kind of joke?” His voice came out sharp, almost threatening. “Did she pay you to say that?”
On the other end, the butler sounded rattled. “No, sir… I wouldn’t dare. Miss Eleanor… she was in a car crash. She’s gone.”
“No, impossible! Why would she be in a car crash when I told her to wait at home?” He was fuming.
“Well,” the butler sighed. “We’re not sure, but we think that she was going somewhere because she brought a lot of her things.”
Nathaniel's jaw clenched, ready to snap back, when a second call came in. Without even saying goodbye, he switched lines.
“This is Officer Landers. Are you related to a Eleanor Carrington?”
Nathaniel’s instinct was to say I’m her husband. The words almost slipped out—until reality slammed back into him. His lies. His carefully built façade. He couldn’t risk it.
“I’m… her brother-in-law,” he said instead. The words felt foreign in his mouth, acidic.
The officer’s tone was grim. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ve recovered ashes and several personal belongings from the crash site. The body… it’s unrecognizable because the car exploded after collision.”
For a moment, Nathaniel’s entire body went numb. “No,” he said sharply. “Impossible. How? Are you pranking me? Did she get you in this so we pay her attention?”
“No, Sir. Of course not,” he denied. “If you want to confirm, then go to the crime scene in Lake Shore. We all have the evidence to prove it was her.”
Nathaniel didn’t hear the rest. He was already moving—grabbing his jacket, his phone still in his hand, striding for the door with a speed that made the butler step back.
In the hallway, Delilah appeared, her face pinched with confusion. “What’s happening? Where are you going?”