Chapter 2 - The Man Who Wanted Me Dead
I stared at the photograph in the police officer’s hand until my vision became blurry.
For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
Because standing in the reflection of Brandon’s sunglasses was someone I recognized.
Someone who should not have been there.
Someone who changed everything.
"Who is that?" I whispered.
The officer looked at me carefully.
"We were hoping you could tell us."
I looked back at the picture.
The person was only a shadow.
A dark shape behind Brandon.
But I knew that posture.
I knew that jacket.
I knew those shoulders.
It was someone who had been part of my life long before that mountain.
Someone I trusted.
Someone I never expected to see standing beside the man who tried to murder me.
"My brother," I finally said.
The officer wrote something down.
"Your brother?"
I nodded slowly.
"Ryan."
The name felt strange coming out of my mouth.
Because Ryan Bennett had been missing for almost two years.
Everyone believed he had moved away.
Everyone except me.
I had always believed something had happened to him.
And now I was looking at proof that he had been alive.
Standing beside my husband.
The officer closed his notebook.
"Mrs. Bennett, we need you to understand something."
His voice became serious.
"Your husband has already created a completely different version of what happened."
I stared at him.
"What version?"
He hesitated.
Then he opened a folder.
Inside were printed documents.
The first page was a statement from Brandon.
I read the first sentence.
"My wife became unstable after pregnancy and insisted on dangerous hikes despite my concerns."
My hands started shaking.
I kept reading.
"He claims you were emotional, reckless, and unwilling to listen."
I couldn't believe it.
Brandon wasn't just trying to kill me.
He was building a story where nobody would blame him.
A story where I was the problem.
A story where my death would look like my own fault.
The officer placed another paper in front of me.
"Your husband also contacted your insurance company."
I looked up.
"Why?"
The officer didn't answer immediately.
He didn't need to.
I already knew.
The room felt colder.
"He wanted the money."
The officer nodded.
"He filed a claim."
I closed my eyes.
A thousand memories rushed through my mind.
Brandon holding my hand.
Brandon kissing my forehead.
Brandon talking to our baby.
Every moment felt fake now.
Every word.
Every smile.
Every promise.
How long had he been planning this?
A nurse entered the room and reminded me that I needed rest.
But I couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Brandon standing at the edge of that cliff.
Watching me fall.
Not running.
Not screaming.
Just watching.
The next morning, Detective Mason arrived.
He was different from the first officer.
Older.
Calmer.
The kind of person who looked like he had spent years listening to people lie.
He placed a small evidence bag on the table.
Inside was my wedding bracelet.
The one I lost during the fall.
"We found this near the cliff," he said.
I looked at it.
The bracelet Brandon gave me on our anniversary.
I remembered him putting it around my wrist.
He told me:
"This means I'll protect you forever."
Now I understood.
Some promises were just words.
Detective Mason pointed at the bracelet.
"There is something unusual."
I looked closer.
The metal clasp was scratched.
I had never noticed it before.
"What does it say?"
He turned the bracelet over.
Three letters were carved into the back.
L-I-A.
My heart stopped.
"Liar."
Detective Mason watched my reaction.
"Did you write this?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Did Brandon?"
Again, I shook my head.
"I don't know."
But deep inside, I felt something.
Someone had left that message for me.
Someone knew the truth.
Someone wanted me to find it.
The detective leaned forward.
"Claire, we need to talk about your husband."
I looked at him.
"What about him?"
"He has been very cooperative."
The words made me uncomfortable.
"Cooperative?"
"He came to the hospital yesterday."
My body froze.
"He came here?"
Detective Mason nodded.
"He was crying."
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
"He cried?"
"Yes."
I looked away.
Brandon was good.
Too good.
"He told everyone he loved you."
My fingers tightened around the blanket.
"What did he say?"
The detective opened his notes.
"He said he lost the love of his life."
Silence filled the room.
Then I whispered:
"He pushed me."
Detective Mason looked at me.
"I believe you."
Those words almost broke me.
Because after everything Brandon had done, a small part of me was still afraid nobody would believe me.
But the detective continued.
"We found something else."
He placed another photograph on the table.
This one showed Brandon near the mountain.
The angle was different.
The time stamp was visible.
I stared at it.
"What is this?"
Detective Mason pointed.
"Look behind him."
I leaned closer.
Behind Brandon was a vehicle.
Not our SUV.
Another car.
A black truck parked near the hiking trail.
My stomach tightened.
"Whose car is that?"
"We don't know yet."
I looked at the picture again.
Then I noticed something else.
A small sticker on the windshield.
A symbol.
I had seen it before.
At my house.
On a box in Brandon's office.
On documents I wasn't allowed to touch.
My voice became quiet.
"Where did you find this?"
"The trail camera captured it."
I looked up.
"There were cameras?"
"Yes."
Hope appeared inside me for the first time.
"Then you have footage."
Detective Mason didn't answer.
And that scared me more than anything.
"What happened?"
He looked away.
"The footage is missing."
My heart sank.
"Missing?"
"Someone deleted it."
Of course they did.
Brandon wasn't acting alone.
That was becoming clearer every minute.
After Detective Mason left, I lay in the hospital bed staring at the ceiling.
I tried to understand how my life had changed overnight.
Yesterday, I was a pregnant wife planning a nursery.
Today, I was a survivor investigating my own murder.
A knock came at the door.
I turned.
A woman stood there.
Late 50s.
Dark coat.
Nervous eyes.
I didn't recognize her.
"Can I help you?"
She stepped inside slowly.
"Claire..."
The way she said my name made my skin crawl.
"Who are you?"
She looked toward the hallway.
Like she was afraid someone was watching.
"My name is Evelyn."
I waited.
She swallowed.
"I knew your husband before you did."
My heart started racing.
"What does that mean?"
She looked down.
Then she said something that made me forget my pain.
"Brandon didn't choose you because he loved you."
I stared at her.
"Why did he choose me?"
She opened her bag.
Pulled out a small envelope.
And placed it on my bed.
"He chose you because you were the last person who could stop him."
My hands trembled as I opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph of Brandon.
A photograph of Ryan.
And a third person standing between them.
Someone I had never seen before.
But someone who knew my name.
On the back of the photo were six words.
"She knows what happened that night."
I looked at Evelyn.
"What night?"
Her face turned pale.
Then her phone suddenly rang.
She looked at the screen.
And all the color disappeared from her face.
Because the caller ID showed one name.
Ryan Bennett.
My missing brother.
May you like
And when Evelyn answered, the voice on the other side whispered...
"Claire is awake."
