Chapter 4 - 3:17 A.M.Seven stitches.
Severe concussion.
No brain bleeding.
Those words became Claire’s entire universe.
At 3:17 in the morning, she sat beside Lily’s hospital bed.
Her daughter finally slept.
Claire did not.
She replayed the wedding.
Ethan helping Lily pick up crayons.
The watch appearing.
Richard’s strange calm.
The deleted footage.
Why?
Ethan was cruel.
But framing a child required planning.
The hospital door opened.
A man entered.
Tall.
Dark suit.
Gray eyes.
Marcus Vance.
Claire recognized him immediately.
He was the attorney who had once beaten Bennett Development in a $90 million corruption lawsuit.
“My family hates you,” Claire said.
Marcus pulled out a chair.
“I’ve heard.”
“Why are you here?”
“Because Sergeant Ramirez called me.”
He placed a folder on the table.
“The ballroom footage isn’t gone.”
Claire stopped breathing.
“The hotel stores backup video on an independent cloud server.”
Marcus leaned closer.
“I filed an emergency preservation order forty minutes ago.”
Claire looked at Lily.
Then back at him.
“Can you prove Ethan planted the watch?”
Marcus answered quietly.
“If the camera saw it, yes.”
Claire’s eyes hardened.
“Then get me the video.”
Marcus studied her.
“You understand what happens next?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be going to war with your entire family.”
Claire took Lily’s small hand.
“No.”
May you like
She looked toward him.
“They went to war with my daughter.”
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