The detective studied my reaction carefully.
“It must have been stolen,” I rushed to say. “Michael’s at work right now. Someone must’ve taken it.”
Hayes slowly closed the folder.
“Mrs. Carter… we already contacted his office.”
The hallway suddenly felt colder.
“They informed us your husband hasn’t worked there for nearly three months.”
The words struck like a physical blow.
Three months.
Every morning for ninety days Michael had left home dressed for work.
Every morning he had kissed me goodbye.
Every morning he drove that SUV somewhere.
But not to his job.
Where had he been going?
And why was his car the one that nearly killed our daughter?
Through the ICU window I watched Lily breathing slowly beneath the sedation.
Moments ago my biggest fear was that she wouldn’t wake up.
Now a new terror twisted inside me.
What if she did wake up…
…and remembered the driver?
My phone suddenly vibrated.
A text message.
From Michael.
“Just saw your calls. I was stuck in a meeting all afternoon. I’m heading into the hospital lobby now.”
Detective Hayes saw the panic on my face.
“Is that him?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed.
“He’s coming upstairs.”
Chapter 2: The Perfect Husband
The elevator doors opened at the end of the hallway.
“Anna!”
Michael rushed toward me.
His tie was loose, his hair messy, his expression full of worry.
He pulled me into a tight embrace.
“I’m so sorry I missed your calls,” he said breathlessly. “Is Lily okay?”
I froze in his arms.
Just minutes earlier I would have collapsed into him for comfort.
Now I felt like I was hugging a stranger.
Beneath his cologne was a strange scent I didn’t recognize.
Not office coffee.
Not paperwork.
Something cheap and unfamiliar.
I forced myself to hug him back.
“A car hit her,” I said quietly.
Michael pulled away and rushed to the ICU window.
He stared at Lily.
But there was something wrong with his expression.
It wasn’t grief.
It was calculation.
“When will she wake up?” he asked quickly.
The question sent ice down my spine.
He wasn’t asking about her injuries.
He wanted to know when she could talk.
Inside the room Lily’s heart monitor suddenly sped up.
Her fingers twitched.
Her eyelids fluttered.
She was waking up.
Michael immediately opened the ICU door and stepped inside.
I followed.
Lily’s eyes slowly opened.
She looked at the ceiling… then toward the foot of the bed.
Her gaze landed on Michael.
For a moment she stared silently.
Then terror exploded across her face.