“Two months before the accident, I started receiving bank statements by mistake. Marcus wasn’t just stealing. He was laundering millions through Sterling for a cartel near the southern border. Construction trucks carrying more than supplies.”
Ethan stared in disbelief.
“I confronted him,” Grace continued. “He laughed. Then he showed me photos—of you at lunch, the girls at school, us sleeping. He said if either of us spoke, he’d make you watch while they hurt the girls… then kill you.”
Ethan felt ice in his veins.
“He staged the crash. Bribed Dr. Bennett. Used another car and three unclaimed bodies from the morgue. That night his men forced me to sign everything over and brought us here. If I ever contacted you, he said you’d be dead within a day.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I let you believe we were dead because your grief was the only thing keeping you alive.”
Grief hardened into resolve.
“It ends now,” Ethan said calmly. “The man who mourned at that cemetery is gone. I will protect this family. And I will end Marcus Cole.”
Before she could answer, tires screeched outside.
Two black SUVs stopped in front of the house.
“It’s him,” Grace whispered. “They followed you.”
Ethan felt only clarity.