Chapter 5 - The ReturnOn the morning of the seventy-fourth day, Thaddius landed at JFK.
He arrived with Clarice and Genevieve.
They were laughing.
They believed they were returning to an empty penthouse.
A dead woman's empire.
A fortune waiting for them.
Thaddius carried two suitcases.
He looked relaxed.
Confident.
Almost joyful.
He had no idea what was waiting for him.
Meanwhile, I sat inside a black SUV parked two blocks away.
Daniel sat beside me.
My attorney, Rebecca Sloan, sat across from us.
“You don't have to do this personally,” Rebecca said.
“Yes.”
I looked at the penthouse.
“I do.”
The building was surrounded by discreet investigators.
The police were ready.
Federal agents had already been briefed.
Every transaction was documented.
Every conversation was preserved.
Every lie was recorded.
Thaddius entered the building at 6:43 p.m.
The cameras captured everything.
He greeted the doorman.
He laughed.
He took the elevator upstairs.
At 6:51 p.m., the penthouse door opened.
He stepped inside.
“Seraphina?”
No answer.
Clarice entered behind him.
“She's obviously gone.”
Genevieve laughed.
“I can't believe this worked.”
Thaddius walked toward the bedroom.
Then he stopped.
Something was wrong.
The penthouse wasn't dark.
The lights were on.
The water was running.
The HVAC was working.
And the furniture had been rearranged.
He turned slowly.
A voice came from behind him.
“You're late.”
His face went white.
Thaddius froze.
Clarice stopped breathing.
Genevieve dropped her handbag.
I stepped out of the hallway.
Alive.
Standing.
Wearing a black suit.
My hair was pulled back.
My face was thinner.
But I was smiling.
Thaddius stared at me.
“No.”
I walked closer.
“Yes.”
His lips trembled.
“You're…”
“Alive?”
I tilted my head.
“Disappointed?”
He stumbled backward.
“This is impossible.”
“No.”
I stopped three feet away.
“This is consequences.”
Clarice began screaming.
“She can't be here!”
I looked at her.
“This is my home.”
Thaddius's eyes darted toward the door.
Two federal agents stepped into the hallway.
His face collapsed.
“What's going on?”
I smiled.
“Remember when you told me no one was coming?”
May you like
He stared at me.
“I came back.”
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