The last thing I heard before everything went dark was my own heartbeat pounding in my ears…

CHAPTER 3 — The Whistleblower

We stayed locked inside Alex’s apartment for two days.

Every time a car drove past, my heart stopped.

Every time a floorboard creaked in the hallway, I checked the locks.

But the police couldn’t find Victor.

He wasn’t at his apartment. He wasn’t at his parents' massive estate. He wasn’t at his job.

He had vanished.

"He's gone underground," Alex said, pacing the living room on the third afternoon.

"His parents are hiding him," I said. "Helena and Raúl have the money to keep him in a hotel indefinitely."

"Reynolds is monitoring their bank accounts," Alex replied. "If they move cash, she’ll know."

Just then, my phone buzzed on the coffee table.

It wasn’t a known number.

It was an encrypted message from an anonymous app.

I stared at the screen.

Message: I know where he is. Don't tell the cops yet. Meet me at the diner on 4th Street. 3 PM. Come alone. - N

Nora.

Victor’s sister.

The woman who had stood in that house, holding her phone, recording my assault while she laughed.

My blood boiled instantly.

"Alex," I said, holding up the phone.

Alex read the message, his eyes narrowing.

"It's a trap," he said immediately. "She's baiting you out."

"Or she's finally realized her family is going down in flames, and she wants to save herself," I argued.

"I’m not letting you go."

"I have to."

"She recorded you bleeding on the floor!" Alex shouted, his protective instincts flaring. "She is just as guilty as he is!"

"I know!" I shouted back, startling myself with my own volume.

Leo stirred in his playpen but didn't wake.

I lowered my voice, looking Alex dead in the eye.

"I know what she did, Alex. But if the police can't find Victor, we are going to be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives."

"I can't raise my son in hiding."

"I won't."

Alex stared at me.

He saw the shift.

I wasn’t the broken girl in the hospital bed anymore.

I was a mother fighting for her child’s freedom.

"Fine," Alex said, his jaw locked tight. "But you aren't going alone. I'll be sitting in the truck across the street. If she makes one wrong move, I'm coming through the window."

"Deal."

At 2:55 PM, I walked into the diner.

It was mostly empty.

Just the smell of old coffee and frying grease.

I spotted Nora in a booth at the back.

She looked terrible.

The expensive clothes and perfect makeup from six months ago were gone.

She looked pale, exhausted, and deeply paranoid.

I slid into the booth across from her.

I didn't say hello.

I just stared at her.

"You look good," Nora whispered, unable to meet my eyes.

"Where is he, Nora?" I asked, my voice completely devoid of emotion.

She swallowed hard, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug.

"He's losing his mind," Nora said. "He blames you for everything. His parents cut him off because the legal fees from the assault trial nearly bankrupted them."

"I don't care about his feelings," I interrupted. "Where is he?"

Nora finally looked up at me.

Her eyes were filled with tears.

"He's at my place," she said, her voice breaking. "He forced his way in three days ago. He told me if I called the cops, he'd kill me."

A cold shock ran down my spine.

Victor wasn't just abusing me anymore.

He had turned his rage on his own sister.

"He took my car keys," Nora continued, crying softly. "He took my phone. I had to buy a burner just to message you."

"Why didn't you just message the police?"

"Because he said he bought a gun!" Nora gasped. "If the cops show up, he's going to shoot it out. I don't want to die in my own apartment."

I stared at the woman who had laughed at my pain.

I should have felt triumphant.