68
As soon as I stepped through the door and realized the house was empty, I rushed upstairs to the study. Standing in front of the safe, I didn’t hesitate. I wiped the sweat off my palms and entered Gale’s birthday as the code.”
With a soft ding, the safe clicked open.
Inside, stacks of documents were piled high. After a brief pause, I locked the study door behind me, took out all the papers, and began flipping through them, snapping photos along the way.”
Then I found it.”
A medical document. My gut twisted the moment my eyes scanned the title. Something felt off. And as I continued reading line by line, the air around me grew heavier, then my heart sank.
Turned out, my baby was just a tool to save Gale.
And the worst part? Rusty knew.
He hadn’t intended for the baby to die, not at first. But even after learning how dangerous a premature C–section would be, he still signed the consent form without a second thought. He chose to deliver the baby early.”
The man who helped give our child life also took it away.”
Alone in that room, staring at the truth, I couldn’t stop the broken sob that slipped from my throat. My right hand trembled uncontrollably as I clutched the edge of the desk, trying to stay upright.”
Thinking of that tiny baby I once held in my arms, my eyes blurred with tears, and my chest felt hollow, like something had been carved right out of me.§
Suddenly, a piece of paper slipped from the pile and fell to the floor.
When I picked it up, my heart stopped again. Bold characters stared back at me, saying [Divorce Agreement]}
I opened it and found Rusty’s signature was already there.
The space next to it was the only one left blank, waiting for mine.”
So this was what he had prepared for me all along.
Before I could process it further, I suddenly heard his voice downstairs.}
“Shannon? Is that you?”
I froze.
According to Gale’s social media, Rusty was supposed to be out with her, celebrating their ‘lucky escape‘ after the fire. So why was he home??
His footsteps grew louder.
Panicking, I shoved all the documents back into the safe, shut it, and darted into the adjacent bedroom. By the time he reached the second floor, I was curled up under the covers, pretending to sleep.
The moment he saw me safe and sound, Rusty didn’t look relieved. Rather, he looked angry.
“Shannon, do you even realize what I went through? I turned the entire amusement park upside down looking for you! I was this close to calling the police! And the whole time, you were just here? Sleeping? You didn’t even think to let me know you were home?“}
He sounded genuinely hurt, like I’d wronged him, like he was the victim.
But he had been the one who let go of my hand, who ran off to save someone else.
Even so, I gave him a small, empty smile and didn’t bother arguing.
“I did try to call you,” I said quietly. “But the crowd pushed us apart, and you know I can’t see. I couldn’t find you. I dialed your number, but you didn’t pick up. So I took a cab home and just waited for you here.“}
He glanced at his phone then, and sure enough, dozens of missed calls lit up the screen.
Only then did he seem to remember that he’d been too busy comforting Gale to answer. When the phone kept ringing, he’d silenced it and tossed it aside.”
Recalling that, his face softened with guilt, and he scrambled to justify himself.
“… I was looking for you, too, you know. I didn’t stop. But anyway, we’re both safe now, and that’s what matters.“N
Before he could say more, the Love Bell rang, which only meant Gale was calling him downstairs.
He hesitated for a beat, weighing his options, and just as I expected, he chose her.
But not without tossing a few parting words over his shoulder.
“Get some rest. I’ll bring you something to eat and come back to keep you company later.”
Once he left, the room fell silent again.”
I pulled out my phone and opened a hidden surveillance app. After entering Gale’s birthday as the password, I accessed the live feed from the first–floor camera.
Yes, I always knew there was a hidden camera downstairs.$
Rusty had installed it himself, said it was for my safety, that he wanted to be able to check on me at all times, so I never questioned it. Didn’t expect I could use this to my own advantage.
10.32 AM ·
Shannon’s POV
