“Did Daniel ever mention Caleb to you?” I asked.
“Only once. He said if a man named Caleb ever showed up, I should stay quiet and call him immediately.”
But Daniel was already dead.
“What was Caleb looking for?” I pressed.
“I don’t know. But he scared me. He said once Daniel’s assets were sorted out, he would ‘come back for what belonged to the company.’ I don’t know what that means.”
A cold wave rushed through me. Daniel had left more secrets than just an affair.
“What did he say when he left?” I asked.
Maya’s voice shook. “He told me… I should prepare to move out soon. That the farmhouse wouldn’t stay mine for long. And that if I wanted protection, I should cooperate with him.”
I straightened. “He threatened you.”
She nodded, tears streaming.
My shock slowly twisted into anger. But beneath that anger was something else—a sharp, frightening realization:
Daniel had been hiding Maya… not because of the affair, but because he was afraid of someone far more dangerous.
I stood abruptly. “Maya, gather what you need. You’re not staying here alone.”
She looked up, startled. “Where are we going?”
I didn’t know. But I did know one thing:
Whatever Daniel had been involved in… it was now on both of us.
I helped Maya pack a single duffel bag—just clothes, documents, and the ultrasound photo she kept tucked under her pillow. The farmhouse, once merely suspicious, now felt hostile, like Caleb’s presence still lingered in the walls.
Before leaving, I searched the house myself—every drawer, every cabinet, every floorboard—trying to understand what Caleb had been so eager to find. Maya hovered by the door anxiously.
“Did Daniel ever hide anything here?” I asked.
