Chapter 3 - The Trap Closes
I burst out the back door of the cottage, running across the manicured lawn toward the front driveway just as Ethan’s black SUV pulled up by the maple trees.
He stepped out of the vehicle, his suit jacket unbuttoned, looking every bit the charming, successful corporate consultant. But when he saw me sprinting across the grass with tear-streaked cheeks and mud on my ivory wedding dress, his expression morphed into something terrifying.
“Claire!” Ethan called out, jogging to cut off my path to the street. “Where are you going? You’re acting hysterical.”
“Stay away from me!” I screamed, backing away toward the gate. “I saw her, Ethan! I saw Sarah! You’re a monster! You’re a serial abuser—what did you do to the others?”
Ethan stopped dead in his tracks. The mask of innocent bewilderment completely vanished, replaced by a cold, dead stare that made my blood run ice-cold.
“You talk too much, Claire,” he said softly, taking another step closer. “Just like Sarah. Just like the others before her who thought they could walk away from what we built.”
Before I could turn and run, a pair of strong hands grabbed my arms from behind. Margaret had followed me out of the cottage. She gripped my shoulders with vice-like strength, pinning my arms to my sides while Ethan closed the distance between us.
“Put your phone in my hand, Claire,” Ethan instructed, holding out his palm. “Right now. Or your father loses his stores by midnight.”
I looked into the eyes of the man I had planned to marry tomorrow. There was no love there. No remorse. Only the empty, calculating gaze of a predator who had done this exact thing six times before.
May you like
My phone slipped from my trembling fingers into his palm.
“Good girl,” Ethan murmured, unlocking it with my facial recognition before tossing it onto the grass and crushing it beneath the heel of his leather shoe. “Now, let’s go inside. We have a rehearsal dinner to prepare for, and you have a very convincing speech to write about how much you love your new family.”
