flash
The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the freezing slate beneath my spine. The blinding white vortex of snow kicked up by the downdraft burned my eyes, but I forced my lids open, locking my gaze onto the amber visor of the rescue specialist dropping out of the sky. / Chapter 5 / 30

Chapter 5 - The Web Tightens

Detective Miller stepped between Michael and me, flashing a gleaming pair of steel handcuffs.

"Michael Carter, you are under arrest for attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and reckless endangerment of a minor," Miller announced, his voice echoing off the stained-glass windows.

"This is a setup! A total fabrication!" Michael snarled, his mask of corporate charm completely shattering as the cuffs snapped securely around his wrists. He lunged forward, panic overriding his logic. "Ashley! Tell them! Tell them we were just taking a normal hike! Tell them she tripped!"

All eyes whipped toward Ashley. The polished, untouchable executive assistant was now backed against the altar rail, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she realized she was being thrown directly under the bus.

"I—I don't know what he's talking about!" Ashley shrieked, backing away from Michael as if he carried the plague. "I didn't push anyone! He planned the whole thing! He told me if I helped him manage his calendar and secure the policy paperwork, we’d split the fifty million and move to the Cayman Islands! He threatened me!"

Michael’s jaw dropped. He stared at his lover with pure, unadulterated venom. "You lying little parasite! You helped me pick out the damn cliff!"

"Cut the chatter," Detective Miller barked, grabbing Michael by the shoulder and spinning him around. "You both have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

As the officers hauled Michael and Ashley down the center aisle—past rows of stunned business associates, gaping relatives, and flashing media cameras that had already caught wind of the spectacle—I stood by the open casket, watching my fraudulent funeral implode in spectacular fashion.

"Mrs. Carter," Detective Miller said, walking back up to me with a sympathetic nod. "An ambulance is waiting outside to take you back to the hospital for observation. You shouldn't have left your post-op recovery for this."

"I needed closure, Detective," I murmured, watching the heavy oak doors swing shut behind my handcuffed husband. "And now, I need to go feed my son."

The media circus outside was deafening. Flashes blinded me as I walked out of the cathedral under the protection of two armed bailiffs, but for the first time since that icy morning on the mountain, the cold didn't reach my bones.

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I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against the linoleum floor.

I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against...

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking against the pristine hospital linoleum. He reached for the tray table, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. His voice was low, coated in a practiced, corporate calm that made my stomach churn worse than the spiked blood pressure.

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking agai...

The silence in the dining room stretched thin, heavy enough to slice with a butter knife. Robert, Michael’s father, adjusted his napkin, completely oblivious to the silent war being fought across the porcelain plates.

The silence in the dining room stretched thin, heavy enough to slice wit...

Michael had tried to bury me in the snow.

Instead, he had just dug his own grave.

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