“Your husband is not the man you think he is.”
And in that moment, I realized she was right.
The stairwell echoed with the fading footsteps of the men chasing us. The nurse—whose badge read Megan—kept her back pressed against the door, listening for any hint that they might break through. My pulse throbbed so loudly I barely heard my own breaths.
“Why would he do this?” I whispered. “What could he possibly need fake doctors and staged injuries for?”
Megan motioned me farther down the stairs. “Move. We need to get outside before he locks down the floor.”
We hurried down the concrete steps, but each level felt heavier than the last. I tried to piece together the last few weeks—Logan’s sudden late nights, the unexplained deposits in his bank account, the way he jumped when his phone buzzed. I had asked questions. He had brushed them aside. I thought we were just drifting.
But no… he had been hiding something much darker.
At the bottom floor, Megan pushed open the door leading into a dim maintenance hallway. “I don’t know everything,” she said, “but the men he’s with? I’ve seen them here before, sneaking into rooms without logging their clearance.”
“What does Logan want from me?” I asked.
“Maybe leverage,” Megan said. “Maybe silence. Whatever he’s doing… you walked in on the part he never planned for you to see.”
We reached a service exit, but before we could step outside, a figure appeared at the other end of the hallway.
Logan.
His expression wasn’t confused or apologetic. It was cold.
“Claire,” he said, voice steady. “Come here. I can explain.”
Megan stepped in front of me. “Stay back.”
Logan ignored her. “Claire… you were supposed to stay home.” His gaze hardened. “You weren’t supposed to uncover any of this.”
My throat tightened. “Uncover what?”
He exhaled sharply. “Things that have nothing to do with you. Things that will keep both of us safe if you just listen.”
Megan snapped, “She’s not going anywhere with you.”
Logan’s jaw twitched. “Claire. I’m your husband.”
I took a step back. “Are you? Because the man I married wouldn’t stage his own injury, surround himself with fake doctors, and trap me in a hospital.”
For the first time, Logan hesitated. A flicker of regret passed through his eyes—but only for a moment.
“I didn’t want you involved,” he said quietly. “But now you are.”
