Chapter 6
I stared at her.
This woman who had been sleeping with my husband for over a year.
Who was carrying his baby.
Who had known about the plan to destroy me.
And I felt nothing.
No anger.
No jealousy.
Just a deep, weary sadness.
Because I could see it in her eyes.
She was just another victim.
Another woman Ryan had lied to and manipulated.
“Okay,” I said.
“Five minutes.”
We walked to a quiet corner of the hallway.
Lisa and Mia stayed close, watching like hawks.
Jenna’s hands were resting on her pregnant belly.
She looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered.
“About any of it. Not at first. Ryan told me you two were separated. That you were getting a divorce. That you were a drug addict. That you were abusive to Noah. I believed him. He was so convincing. He cried when he talked about his son. He said he was terrified you’d hurt the baby.”
She paused, swallowing hard.
“I didn’t find out the truth until last week. I saw the text messages on his phone. The ones to his mother. The ones about the trust fund. I confronted him. And he hit me.”
She pulled down the collar of her sweater.
A dark, purple bruise was blooming on her collarbone.
My breath caught.
“He said if I told anyone, he’d hurt me. And the baby. He said he’d make sure I never saw our son. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. But then today, in there? When he started screaming? When he lunged at you? I realized he’d do the same thing to me. Or worse. He’s not a good man, Sarah. He’s a monster. And he’s capable of anything.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out a manila envelope.
She handed it to me.
“This is everything I have. Bank records. Text messages. Photos of the bruises he’s given me. And a voice recording. From last night. He called me at two in the morning. He was drunk. He was ranting. He said he was going to teach you a lesson. He said he was going to burn down the house with you and Noah inside. He said if he couldn’t have Noah, no one could.”
My blood ran cold.
I looked at the envelope in my hand.
This wasn’t just evidence.
This was proof Ryan had set the fire.
Proof he’d tried to kill us.
“Why are you giving me this?” I asked quietly.
Jenna’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because I’m going to be a mother soon. And I know what you’re going through. I know what it’s like to be scared for your child. Ryan doesn’t deserve to be a father. Not to Noah. Not to my baby. He needs to be stopped. Before he hurts someone else. Before he kills someone.”
She paused.
“I’m also filing a police report. And a restraining order. And I’m going to testify against him. At his trial. For whatever you need. I just want it to be over.”
I looked at her.
Really looked at her.
She was just twenty-three.
Young.
Scared.
Alone.
And she was doing the right thing.
The brave thing.
Something I hadn’t been able to do for five years.
“Thank you,” I said.
I meant it.
“This means more than you know.”
Jenna nodded.
She turned and walked away.
I looked at Lisa.
She was holding the envelope, her eyes wide.
“This changes everything,” she said.
“With this, we don’t just get a divorce and full custody. We put him in prison. For a very long time. For attempted murder. For everything.”
That night, we stayed at Mia’s house.
It was a small, cozy three-bedroom in a safe neighborhood with a big fence and a security system.
Noah was thrilled.
Mia had two cats and a golden retriever puppy.
He forgot all his fear within five minutes of walking through the door.
I watched him play on the floor, laughing as the puppy licked his face.
And for the first time in days, I felt my shoulders relax.
We were safe.
Ryan was gone.
He couldn’t hurt us anymore.
But I was wrong.
The next morning, my phone rang.
It was the detective handling the arson case.
“Mrs. Carter,” he said.
“I have some bad news. Ryan Carter made bail last night. He’s out.”
I froze.
“What? How? He tried to kill us! He’s dangerous!”
“I know, ma’am. But his mother mortgaged her house to pay his bond. And his lawyer argued that he’s not a flight risk because of his ties to the community. The judge granted it. But don’t worry. We have officers watching his mother’s house. And we’re increasing patrols around your friend’s neighborhood. He won’t get anywhere near you.”
But his words didn’t reassure me.
I knew Ryan.
I knew how stubborn he was.
I knew how much he hated to lose.
He wasn’t going to just give up and walk away.
He was going to come for us.
And next time, he wouldn’t make a mistake.
I looked out the window.
The street was quiet.
Too quiet.
I felt like someone was watching me.
Watching the house.
Waiting.
I called Lisa immediately.
“Ryan is out,” I said.
She cursed.
“Okay. New plan. We’re not waiting for the criminal trial. We’re going to push the divorce and custody trial through as fast as possible. I’ll file the motions today. And I want you to stay with Mia. Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t answer the door for anyone you don’t know. Keep the security system on at all times. And if you see him or his mother anywhere, you call 911 immediately. Don’t hesitate. Don’t try to talk to him. Just run.”
“I will,” I promised.
But as I hung up, I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
This wasn’t going to end in a courtroom.
It was going to end the way it had started.
May you like
In blood.
And I had to be ready.
