PART 2 — THE RECORDS DIDN’T LIE
The confidence disappeared from Luke’s face.
He stared at my phone as I scrolled through months of bank statements.
“You kept all of that?”
“I’m your wife,” I said quietly. “Of course I kept records.”
Luke reached for my phone.
I pulled it away.
“Don’t touch me.”
For the first time, he looked nervous.
Camellia stopped crying.
Celina looked between us.
“What are you doing?” Luke demanded.
“Finding out what happened to my daughter.”
I opened another statement.
“Three weeks ago, you transferred $12,500 to Camellia.”
Luke’s jaw tightened.
“That was a business expense.”
“Then why was the payment labeled ‘new beginning’?”
Nobody spoke.
I turned toward Camellia.
“Did Luke give you that money?”
Her lips began trembling.
“Mrs. Vance…”
Celina suddenly stepped forward.
“Stop interrogating that poor girl!”
I looked at her.
“You knew.”
Celina froze.
“You sent me a message last night telling me something bad was coming.”
She swallowed.
“I was worried.”
“No. You were warning me.”
Luke grabbed my wrist.
“Enough.”
I pulled free.
“You don’t get to tell me when enough is enough.”
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Ms. Vance?”
“Yes.”
“This is Detective Harris with the county police.”
My entire body went rigid.
“I need to speak with you privately.”
“Why?”
There was a pause.
“Because the child believed to be your daughter is still alive.”
I nearly dropped the phone.
“What?”
Luke went completely white.
The detective continued.
“Your daughter is in the pediatric intensive care unit. She is unconscious, but alive.”
I stopped breathing.
Luke whispered:
“That’s impossible.”
I turned toward him.
“What did you just say?”
He didn’t answer.
That was the moment everything changed.
PART 3 — MY DAUGHTER WAS ALIVE
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