Chapter 3 - THE NIGHT SERENA DISAPPEARED
Eight months earlier, Serena Moretti had been twenty-six and newly pregnant.
She hadn't told Damen yet.
She wanted to.
God, she wanted to.
But their marriage had been strained by the violence surrounding his family.
Damen came home late.
Sometimes injured.
Sometimes silent.
He rarely explained where he'd been.
Serena had learned to recognize danger in the smallest details.
A new guard outside the bedroom.
An unfamiliar car near the estate.
A phone call that made Damen leave dinner without touching his food.
She loved him.
But she was afraid of the world he lived in.
Then, one night, a woman called.
Her voice was calm.
Almost pleasant.
"Mrs. Moretti?"
"Yes?"
"If you want your husband to live, listen carefully."
Serena froze.
The woman continued.
"You're pregnant."
Her blood turned cold.
Nobody knew.
Not even Damen.
"Who is this?"
"Someone offering you a choice."
Serena gripped the phone.
"What choice?"
"Disappear."
Silence.
"Make him believe you're dead."
Serena began shaking.
"You're insane."
"Perhaps."
The woman paused.
"But if Damen learns about the child, both of them will die."
Serena covered her mouth.
The caller described her doctor's appointment.
The pharmacy where she'd bought prenatal vitamins.
The route she took to visit her mother-in-law's grave.
Details no stranger should have known.
Then came the final instruction.
"Tomorrow night. The bridge outside Gary. Your car. The river."
Serena whispered:
"Why?"
The woman answered:
"Because some men can only be controlled through the people they love."
The next evening, Serena drove toward Indiana.
A second vehicle followed her.
She was terrified.
At the bridge, another car appeared.
Its headlights flashed.
Serena pulled over.
A man approached.
He wore a dark coat.
His face was hidden.
"Keys," he said.
She handed them over.
"Your phone."
She obeyed.
He pointed toward a waiting van.
"Get in."
Serena stared.
"Are you going to kill me?"
The man hesitated.
Then said:
"Not if you follow instructions."
She climbed inside.
Minutes later, she heard a crash.
Then the distant sound of metal breaking.
May you like
Her car had gone into the river.
And Serena Moretti had officially died.
