Chloe closed her eyes, trying to cope with the wave of rage and pain. Seven years of marriage. Seven years she had believed she loved this man and was loved in return, while he had simply been waiting for the right moment to get rid of her.
«Where is he now?» She asked, opening her eyes.
Sarah and Newman exchanged a glance.
«At home,» Sarah replied. «He’s living in your apartment, going to work. We’re keeping discrete surveillance on him. He’s confident everything went according to plan.»
«What do you mean?»
«Chloe, you’re officially listed as missing,» Sarah explained. «Your mother called him when you didn’t show up. He pretended to be a worried husband, saying he had seen you off at the train station. You were supposed to arrive.»
«He filed a missing person report with the police,» Newman added. «Search efforts are underway, but we’re pretending to search while observing what he does next.»
«Yesterday he went to a notary,» Newman continued. «He was consulting about accessing the missing wife’s accounts and checking how long he has to wait before filing to have you declared dead. We recorded that too.»
Chloe felt her insides tighten with disgust. So James wasn’t even waiting. He was already preparing to get her money.
«What happens next?» she asked. «How will you catch him?»
«We have a plan,» Sarah said, leaning forward. Her eyes sparkled with the excitement of an investigator seeing the pieces of a case fall perfectly into place. «Right now, James has started the process of getting access to your accounts through the court.»
«He claims you’re missing. He’s your only relative. He needs money to continue the search. The court hearing is next week—the preliminary session.»
«And then?»
«We’ll give him a surprise.» Sarah smiled, but it was a cold smile. «You’ll appear at that hearing. Alive, well, with your full memory, along with all the evidence: surveillance footage, blood tests, Marcus’s testimony, the ticket under another name. He won’t have a chance to wriggle out.»
«But the hearing is still a week away.» Chloe looked at Anthony, who had been silently listening to the entire conversation.
«Stay here,» Newman said. «Safe. James must not find out you’re alive. If he realizes the plan has failed, he might try to run, or worse, finish the job another way.»
«He has connections with criminal organizations,» Sarah reminded her. «The people he owes money to won’t hesitate if he asks them for help.»
She didn’t finish, but Chloe already understood. A hired killer, an accident, a staged incident of some kind. No, better to stay dead for James for another week.
«Fine,» she nodded. «I’ll stay. But what about my parents? Mom calls every day. She’s worried.»
«Keep saying you’re in the hospital with a cold,» Sarah advised. «Hang on a few more days. After the court, you can tell them the truth.»
They talked for another half hour, discussing details and procedures. Newman gathered all the documents back into his briefcase. Sarah hugged Chloe goodbye.
«Stay strong,» she whispered. «Soon it will be over, and he’ll get what he deserves.»
After they left, Chloe and Anthony were alone in the room. Rain fell outside, gray and dreary, just like the mood inside.
«How are you?» Anthony approached and sat on the edge of her bed.
«I don’t know.» She looked at her hands. «I still can’t believe this is real. That the man I lived with for seven years, whom I loved, was capable of this.»
«People change,» Anthony said quietly. «Or maybe they don’t change, they just reveal their true selves when life corners them.»
«Do you think he was always like this? Just hiding it?»
«I don’t know,» Anthony shrugged. «Maybe he really loved you once. Or maybe he only ever saw you as a source of income. But it doesn’t matter anymore, Chloe. What matters is that you’re alive, that you have a future he tried to take away from you.»
Chloe nodded. A future. Strange to think about it now, when the present still felt like a nightmare.
«Anthony,» she called as he was about to leave. «Thank you for everything. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.»
«You don’t need to thank me.» He smiled with that same kind, gentle smile she remembered from childhood. «Just live. Be happy. That will be thanks enough.»
He left, and Chloe was left alone with her thoughts. Outside, darkness fell, and the rain intensified, drumming against the window. She thought about James, about how he was now living in their apartment, confident in his victory.
She thought about the court hearing in a week, and the moment he would see her alive. What would he feel? Fear? Rage? Or just the cold realization that he had lost?
Chloe didn’t know, but she knew one thing for certain. She was no longer a victim. She had survived, and now it was time for justice.
The week dragged on painfully. Chloe spent these days in the hospital room, formally discharged but remaining under protection. Anthony had arranged security through his police contacts. Two plainclothes officers were stationed in the hallway around the clock.
Sarah called every day to report on the progress of the case. James continued to play the part of the grieving husband. He posted missing person notices throughout the neighborhood and gave interviews to local news outlets, tearfully recounting how he had seen his beloved wife off at the train station and never seen her again.
«He’s even learned how to cry on cue,» Sarah said with disgust during one of the calls. «Watching these videos, I can’t help but think he’s a really good actor. If it weren’t for the evidence, I might almost believe his sincerity.»
Chloe didn’t watch the interviews. She couldn’t. Just the thought of James publicly portraying himself as a caring husband while secretly planning to take her money made her feel sick.
She kept telling her parents she was in the hospital with a lingering cold. Her mother believed her reluctantly. But what could she do? Chloe had promised to come home as soon as the doctors allowed it, and they had no choice but to accept that.
Finally, the day of the court hearing arrived—or rather, the preliminary session regarding access to the missing wife’s accounts. Sarah arrived early in the morning to pick up Chloe and brought clothes: a sharp dark blue suit, a white blouse, and low-heeled shoes.
«You’ll look like a businesswoman who knows every account and every penny in it,» she joked, helping Chloe get dressed.
Anthony went with them as well. He had taken leave for the week and refused to leave until everything was over. Chloe was more grateful to him than she could put into words. His presence gave her the strength not to break down.
They drove to the courthouse in an unmarked car with tinted windows and flashing lights. Major Newman sat in the front seat, studying some documents. Chloe gazed out the window at passing villages, forests, and road signs. Everything felt unreal, as if she were watching a movie about someone else’s life.
They arrived two hours before the hearing. Newman took Chloe and Anthony into the courthouse through a service entrance so no one would see them. They were placed in a small witness room with a few chairs, a table, and a water cooler.
«Sit here,» the Major instructed. «When the time comes, I’ll call you. James must not know you’re here until the very moment.»
Chloe nodded and sat down, her hands trembling. She clasped them together to hide her nervousness. Anthony sat beside her and covered her hands with his.
«You can do this.»
«I’m scared,» she admitted softly. «Scared to see him. Scared I won’t be able to control myself, to punch him, or just break down and cry.»
«You’re strong,» Anthony said, squeezing her fingers. «Stronger than you think. You survived. You’re here. You remember everything. That’s already a victory. The rest is just procedure.»
They sat, listening to the sounds of preparation for the session on the other side of the wall. Doors slamming, voices, footsteps. Chloe closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing and heartbeat.
About twenty minutes later, the door opened and Sarah entered.
«He’s here,» she said. «Sitting in the courtroom, playing grief. He even put on a black suit, like for a funeral. The judge is about to start.»
«When do I go out?» Chloe asked.
«I’ll give the signal.» Sarah crouched in front of Chloe, looking her in the eyes. «Listen, I know this is hard for you, but you have to stay strong. Walk in there with your head held high, calm and confident. Show him and everyone else that you are not a victim, that you are the victor. You can do it.»
Chloe nodded, though inside she was trembling with fear and rage.
«I can.»
Sarah left. Anthony took Chloe’s hand again.
«Do you want me to go with you?»
«No,» she shook her head. «This is something I have to do myself.»
Another ten minutes of agonizing waiting passed. Then the door opened again, and Sarah nodded.
«Time.»
Chloe stood up. Her legs felt like jelly, but she forced herself to walk steadily, without staggering. Sarah led her down the corridor to the double doors of the courtroom.
From behind them came the muffled voice of the judge, reading out some formal wording.
«He’s about to announce the consideration of the motion for access to the accounts,» Sarah whispered. «And then you go in. I’ll open the door, you walk in and approach the plaintiff’s table. We’ll handle everything else.»
Chloe nodded and swallowed, her throat dry. Sarah cracked the door open and listened. The judge’s voice, a middle-aged woman judging by the timbre, sounded calm and official.
«The court is considering the motion filed by citizen James Ramsey for the granting of temporary access to the bank accounts of his wife, Chloe Ramsey, who is missing. The floor is given to the plaintiff.»
Sarah flung the door open. Chloe entered.
The courtroom was small, seating about thirty people. The judge sat behind a high bench in her robe. The clerk was typing something on a computer. A few rows of benches for observers were mostly empty.
And at the plaintiff’s table, with his back to the door, sat James. He had just begun to speak, without turning around.
«Your Honor, my wife disappeared two weeks ago. I saw her off at the train station. She was supposed to go to her parents, but she never arrived. The police are searching, but so far without results. I need access to her accounts in order to continue…»
«James,» Chloe said loudly and clearly.
He froze, literally turned to stone. For about three seconds, he didn’t move, as if he didn’t believe his own ears. Then, slowly, very slowly, he began to turn around.
Chloe stood a few meters away from him. Her hands were folded in front of her, her back straight. She looked at him calmly, without blinking.
James’ face went through an entire spectrum of emotions in a matter of seconds. First, shock. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped. Then, disbelief. He blinked several times, as if checking whether this was a hallucination.
Then, fear. His skin turned gray, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. And finally, something like rage, quickly suppressed by an attempt to pull himself together.
«Chloe,» he croaked. His voice trembled. «You… you’re alive? My God, where have you been? I was looking for you. I…»
«Be quiet.»
Sarah entered the courtroom after Chloe. Behind her came Major Newman and two more operatives.
«James Ramsey, you are under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent.»
«What?» James jumped to his feet. «What murder? I don’t understand what’s happening. Chloe, tell them! Tell them I didn’t…»
«You gave me coffee laced with a drug that was supposed to erase my memory,» Chloe said evenly, surprised by her own calm.
«You put me on the wrong train and bought a ticket under another name. You planned for me to disappear, to lose my memory, and for you to gain access to all my money to pay off the debts from your failed smuggling business.»
«That’s nonsense!» James backed away, but the operatives had already stepped up on both sides of him. «Chloe, what are you talking about? What drug? I saw you off on the train. Yes, I bought coffee, but it was just coffee. You got sick. I thought you were lying somewhere in a hospital. I was looking for you!»
«We have surveillance footage,» Newman said calmly.
He pulled out a tablet, turned it on, and showed it to the judge.
«Here he is adding the substance to the cup. Here he is buying a ticket under another name. We also have testimony from the seller of the drug and the victim’s blood test results—a complete set of evidence.»