Chapter 2 - The Midnight Hour
Dinner that night was a masterclass in tension.
The dining room was lit by a crystal chandelier that cast sharp, jagged shadows across the table.
Margaret sat at the head, her eyes like two cold marbles.
She was a woman who valued the Whitmore name above all else.
She watched everyone.
She watched the way Ryan checked his watch every ten minutes.
She watched the way Julia played with her wine glass, her eyes fixed on Ryan’s mouth.
Daniel, poor Daniel, sat at the other end, talking about his construction site.
"The foundation is pouring tomorrow," Daniel said, his voice exhausted.
"I’ll have to stay on-site all night to oversee the cure."
Julia didn't even look at him.
"That's nice, honey," she whispered, her eyes never leaving Ryan.
Ryan cleared his throat.
"I have a lot of data to go through for the merger tonight," he announced to the room.
"I’ll be in the office. I don't want to be disturbed."
I felt the weight of the "Titan Force" packet in his pocket.
I knew exactly what "data" he planned on reviewing.
"I think I'll turn in early," I said, my voice steady.
"I have a headache."
Margaret narrowed her eyes at me.
"You've been having a lot of headaches lately, Claire," she said.
"Perhaps you should see a specialist."
"I'm fine, Margaret," I replied. "I just need some rest."
I went upstairs and went through the motions of a normal night.
I brushed my teeth.
I washed my face.
I put on my silk nightgown—the one Ryan used to love.
Then, I turned off the lights and sat in the armchair in the corner of the room.
I sat in the dark.
I waited.
The house began to settle, the floorboards groaning as the temperature dropped.
At 10:30 p.m., I heard Daniel’s truck pull out of the driveway.
He was gone for the night.
At 11:00 p.m., Margaret’s bedroom door clicked shut.
The house was a tomb.
I checked my phone.
11:45 p.m.
11:55 p.m.
Then, I heard it.
The soft creak of the downstairs office door.
Then, the slow, deliberate footsteps on the carpeted stairs.
He wasn't going toward our bedroom.
He was moving toward the guest suite.
I felt a surge of adrenaline so sharp it made my teeth ache.
I crept to my door and opened it a fraction of an inch.
I saw Ryan’s silhouette in the hallway.
He was wearing his silk robe.
He stopped in front of Julia’s door.
He didn't knock.
He just turned the handle and slipped inside.
I stood there in the dark, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I had replaced the pill with a vitamin.
He was going to go in there, expecting to be a "Titan," and he was going to find himself ordinary.
I wanted him to feel the shame I felt every night.
I wanted him to fail.
I sat back down in the chair, counting the seconds.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten.
I expected silence.
I expected him to come slinking back out, defeated and embarrassed.
I didn't expect the sound that came next.
It wasn't a whisper or a laugh.
It was a scream.
It was Julia.
A high, thin, terrifying sound that tore through the silence of the house.
“HELP ME!”
The sound of a heavy body hitting the floor followed.
“RYAN! STOP! GET HIM AWAY FROM ME!”
I bolted out of my room.
The hallway was already flooded with light.
Margaret had appeared from her room, her face pale and her hands trembling.
"What is happening?" she cried.
The screaming continued, followed by the sound of glass shattering.
It sounded like a struggle.
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It sounded like a murder.
***
