Chapter 8: The Missing Person
The police station smelled like coffee and old paper.
I sat across from Detective Harris, waiting for answers.
For years, I believed my divorce was a private tragedy.
A broken marriage.
A betrayal.
A painful ending.
But now I was sitting in a police interview room.
Because Marcus Mercer’s secrets had grown beyond him.
Detective Harris placed a folder on the table.
“We reopened an old investigation.””
“About who?””
He opened the folder.
A photograph slid toward me.
I recognized the face.
Not personally.
But from Marcus’s company.
“Daniel Foster,” Harris said.
“Former financial director at Mercer Technologies.””
I frowned.
“I know the name.””
“You should.””
The detective looked at me carefully.
“He disappeared three days after you filed for divorce.””
I froze.
Three days.
The exact time Marcus was moving money.
The exact time everything collapsed.
“What does this have to do with me?””
Detective Harris studied me.
“Mr. Foster was preparing to report financial misconduct.””
My throat tightened.
“Against Marcus.””
“Yes.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“What happened to him?””
“That’s what we’re trying to determine.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
Because suddenly everything connected.
The affair.
The divorce.
The missing money.
The documents.
Marcus wasn’t just afraid of losing his company.
He was afraid of losing everything.
When I left the station, Marcus was waiting outside.
I stopped.
“How did you know I was here?””
He looked nervous.
“Evelyn.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You knew about Daniel Foster.””
His face changed.
That was enough.
“You knew.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
My anger rose.
“What happened to him?””
“I don’t know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I’m telling the truth.””
I stared at him.
“You haven’t told the truth in five years.””
He looked broken.
“I was scared.””
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
I shook my head.
“Everyone was scared. But you were the only one who destroyed people to protect yourself.””
Marcus looked away.
Then he said something unexpected.
“Chloe knows more.””
I stopped.
“What?””
“She was involved.””
Of course.
The same name again.
Chloe.
Marcus continued.
“She introduced me to the people who helped move the money.””
“You worked with criminals?””
“I didn’t know how far it went.””
“You always say that.””
He looked at me.
“Because it’s true.””
Before I could answer, a car pulled up.
Chloe stepped out.
She looked exhausted.
No makeup.
No perfect smile.
Just fear.
“Evelyn.””
I looked at her.
“What do you want?””
She walked closer.
“I want protection.””
I almost laughed.
“Protection?””
“Yes.””
“From what?””
She looked at Marcus.
Then back at me.
“From the people Marcus introduced me to.””
The silence was heavy.
Marcus whispered:
“What did you do?””
Chloe’s eyes filled with anger.
“What did I do?””
She laughed bitterly.
“You told me you loved me.””
Marcus looked away.
“You used me.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
Her voice broke.
“You promised me everything.””
She looked at me.
“And then you married Evelyn.””
I felt a strange sadness.
Not sympathy.
Just sadness.
Because Chloe finally understood what I had understood years ago.
Marcus didn’t love people.
He loved what people could give him.
Then Chloe pulled something from her bag.
A small envelope.
“I kept this because I knew one day he would betray me too.””
Marcus stared.
“What is that?””
Chloe handed it to me.
“Proof.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Marcus’s handwriting.
A confession.
My hands shook.
“What is this?””
Chloe looked directly at me.
“The truth about Daniel Foster.””
I read the first line.
And my heart stopped.
*If anything happens to Daniel, it’s because I couldn’t control the situation anymore.*
I looked up.
Marcus was pale.
“Evelyn…”
I folded the paper.
And for the first time, I realized something terrifying.
May you like
Marcus hadn’t just been hiding from his past.
He had been running from it.
