Celina answered nervously.

“Still here.”

“Her ID?”

“Here.”

Luke went silent.

Then he said something that made my entire body freeze.

“Then she didn’t run away.”

He paused.

“She called someone.”

I clutched the recorder against my chest.

Mara had been right.

I couldn’t stay here.

But before I could move, headlights suddenly swept across the front windows of the house.

A vehicle had stopped outside.

Then another.

Luke rushed toward the front door.

Celina followed.

Barron stood frozen in the hallway.

I heard someone knock.

Three slow knocks.

Not frantic.

Not hesitant.

Authoritative.

Luke opened the door.

I couldn’t hear the first words clearly.

Then a man’s voice carried across the yard.

“Luke Mercer?”

My husband’s voice trembled.

“Yes?”

“We need to speak with you.”

“About what?”

A pause.

Then the stranger answered.

“About your wife.”

Luke said nothing.

I pressed my hand over my mouth.

The police had arrived.

But I had no idea how they had found me so quickly.

And then I noticed something.

A second vehicle was parked behind the police car.

Mara’s car.

She had come herself.

The front door remained open.

I watched as two officers entered the house.

One of them carried a folder.

The other carried something inside a clear evidence bag.

Luke stepped backward.

“What is this?”

The officer looked directly at him.

“Mr. Mercer, we have a few questions regarding an incident involving your wife.”

Celina immediately started talking.

“This is all a misunderstanding. Clover is unstable. She has emotional problems.”

The officer didn’t respond.

Instead, he looked down at the folder.

Then he said:

“We’ve already spoken to the hospital.”

My heart pounded.

The officer continued.

“And we’ve already obtained security footage.”

Luke’s face changed.

“What footage?”

“The footage from the pharmacy across the street.”

Silence.

I realized then that my escape hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Someone had seen me crawling through the back alley.

Someone had called for help.

But there was more.

The officer opened the folder.

“We also have a recording.”

Luke’s face drained of color.

Celina looked at him.

“What recording?”

The officer didn’t answer her.

He simply looked toward the kitchen.

Then toward the backyard.

And finally…

Toward the broken grate.

“Where is Mrs. Mercer?”

Luke swallowed.

“I don’t know.”

The officer’s expression hardened.

“That’s interesting.”

He reached for his radio.

“Because we believe she’s still on the property.”

My breath caught.

Luke turned toward the backyard.

His eyes swept across the darkness.

And suddenly…

They landed on the shed.

For one terrifying second, I thought he saw me.

Then Mara stepped into the doorway behind him.

“Clover?”

Her voice was soft.

I wanted to answer.

But before I could…

Another sound came from inside the house.

A drawer opening.

Then another.

The officer turned sharply.

“What was that?”

Barron looked terrified.

Celina grabbed Luke’s arm.

And Luke whispered something I could barely hear.

Something that made no sense.

“She found the box.”

My blood turned to ice.

What box?

I looked down at the recorder in my hand.

Then I remembered.

There was another thing I had hidden.

Something I hadn’t told Mara about.

Something Luke had never known existed.

A key.

A key to a locked room in the basement.

A room I had discovered only two weeks earlier.

And inside that room…

I had found documents bearing my name.

Documents that proved Luke’s family had been planning something much bigger than simply controlling me.

I had thought they wanted my salary.

I had thought they wanted my obedience.

But now, watching Luke’s terrified face from behind the shed…

I understood.

My broken leg hadn’t been the beginning of their plan.

It had been the moment their plan started falling apart.

And whatever was hidden in that basement…

Luke was willing to do anything to keep me from finding it.

Part 3 — The Secret in the Basement

I didn’t move.

I barely breathed.

Luke was still standing in the hallway, staring toward the backyard as though he could somehow see through the darkness and find me behind the shed.

But the police were inside now.

Mara was there.

For the first time since my nightmare began, I wasn’t completely alone.

Still, one question kept pounding inside my head.

What was in that basement?

The officer nearest the hallway raised his hand.

“Nobody moves.”

Luke immediately protested.

“You don’t understand. My wife is mentally unstable. She has been acting irrationally for weeks.”

Mara stepped forward.

“No, Luke. She has been documenting you for weeks.”

His face went white.

Celina stared at him.

“You said she wasn’t recording anything.”

Luke looked at his mother.

And that single glance told me everything.

They had lied to each other.

Even now.

Even when the police were standing in their house.

The officer turned to Luke.

“Step away from the door.”

Luke didn’t move.

“Sir.”

Slowly, Luke raised his hands.

Then another officer walked toward the basement.

I watched from my hiding place as he opened the door.

A cold draft swept through the hallway.

He looked inside.

Then he stopped.

“There’s a locked room down here.”

Barron suddenly shouted, “Don’t open it!”

Every officer turned toward him.

Barron froze.

Mara’s expression changed.

“Why shouldn’t they open it?”

“No reason.”

The officer stared at him.

“You just gave me a reason.”

He descended the stairs.

Luke suddenly tried to move.

Two officers stopped him.

“Stay where you are.”

“I need to explain—”

“You can explain downtown.”

Celina began crying.

Not because she was sorry.

Because she knew they were losing control.

I finally crawled out from behind the shed.

Mara saw me immediately.

“Clover!”

She rushed toward me.

The moment I saw her face, something inside me broke.

I had been holding myself together for days.

But now I couldn’t.

“I thought I was going to die.”

Mara knelt beside me.

“You’re safe now.”

I shook my head.