Chapter 5 - THE HUSBAND WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Matthias found me twenty minutes later.
He looked furious.
“Why are you talking to Fiona?”
I stared.
“That's your concern?”
“Serena.”
I shook my head.
“You brought her here.”
He glanced around.
“Keep your voice down.”
I laughed.
It wasn't a happy sound.
“You really need a new sentence.”
His expression hardened.
“Don't make this worse.”
I stepped closer.
“Did you know someone planned to destroy the west wing tonight?”
He froze.
There it was.
The pause.
The calculation.
The panic beneath the polished exterior.
I had seen it when patients lied about what they'd taken.
When relatives concealed injuries.
When frightened people tried to decide which truth would cost them less.
Matthias looked away.
“It's complicated.”
I stared.
“That's not an answer.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“My father said the building was empty.”
My blood went cold.
“Matthias.”
He closed his eyes.
“He said the records had been moved.”
I stared.
“And you believed him?”
“He told me it was a controlled demolition.”
I couldn't speak.
“A controlled demolition?”
He nodded.
“Of the west wing. After the party.”
I felt my daughter kick.
I pressed a hand against my stomach.
“Then why did the risk assessment mention collateral losses?”
His face changed.
“What?”
I stared.
“You didn't know?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
For the first time that evening, Matthias looked genuinely frightened.
May you like
Then he whispered:
“My father told me nobody would be there.”
