Chapter 4
Days turned into a blur of surveillance and psychological theater.
I was living two lives: the grieving son at home and the informant in the field.
Every night, my mother would visit, bringing dinners and advice, slowly inching her way into the vacuum left by Megan’s disappearance.
She began to suggest things—subtle things.
"You know, Jake, the apartment is too small for a man of your status now that you're 'single.' Maybe you should move back into the family estate?"
I knew what this was.
She wanted me closer, under her thumb, where she could monitor my every move.
"I don't think I'm ready for that, Mom."
"It’s for the best. I’ve already spoken to a real estate agent. We can put this place on the market by Monday."
I gritted my teeth, listening to the microphone under my collar pick up her every word.
"You’re moving fast," I remarked.
"I’m a woman of action, Jake. I don't let grass grow under my feet."
She leaned in, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light.
"Besides, you need someone to manage your accounts now. With the baby gone—or, well, let's hope it's gone—you’ll have a lot of inheritance to look after."
My blood turned to ice.
The baby.
She was talking about our child like a business liability.
"You didn't really care about the baby, did you?" I asked, testing her.
She sighed, a sound of genuine boredom.
"I care about the Thorne lineage, Jake. A baby by a woman like her? It would have been a waste of resources. I was doing you a favor."
My grip tightened on the table until my knuckles turned white.
"A favor?"
"Yes. By making her life miserable, I was ensuring you stayed focused. You were drifting, Jake. You were becoming... soft."
I felt a surge of nausea.
She wasn't just a sadist; she was a sociopath who viewed human lives as chess pieces.
"I think I need some air," I said, standing up abruptly.
"Don't go far," she warned.
"We have dinner with the estate lawyers tomorrow. You need to sign the power of attorney papers."
I walked out into the cool night air of Pilsen, the city lights blurred by the tears I couldn't stop from falling.
I realized then that she wasn't just planning to control me; she was planning to erase me.
She had Megan removed, and now she was moving to consolidate my life into her own.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Miller.
"She just admitted it," I whispered.
"She admitted to everything."
May you like
"Stay calm, Jake," Miller’s voice came back, firm and reassuring.
"We have enough. Tomorrow, when she brings those papers? We make our move."
