I felt my hands slip and the world went dark — but what the police found on Eleanor's phone explained everything.

Ethan came back three hours later.

His face was grim.

"Sophia won't talk," he said, sinking into the chair. "She was terrified. She kept saying Eleanor would ruin her. That Eleanor knows things about her family. She practically begged me to leave."

My heart sank. "So that's it. No witnesses. No case."

"Not quite," Ethan said. He pulled out his phone and pressed play.

I heard Sophia's voice, trembling, through the speaker.

"...I saw what happened. But I can't say anything. You don't understand what she's capable of. She'll destroy my brother's business. She'll make sure my niece never gets into that scholarship program. She has connections everywhere..."

Then Ethan's voice: "But if she's willing to kill Claire, what makes you think she'll keep her promises? She's already shown she'll do anything."

A long pause. Then Sophia, barely a whisper:

"She had both hands on Claire's shoulders. And she shoved. Hard. I saw it. I'll never forget it. But I can't tell anyone. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

The recording ended.

I stared at Ethan. "That's it! That's proof!"

"Maybe," Ethan said. "But she says she'll deny it if we use it. She'll say I threatened her. That I edited the audio. Eleanor's lawyer will tear it apart."

"Then what do we do?"

"We find out what Eleanor is really hiding," Ethan said. "Three years ago, when you were accused of embezzlement... I never believed it. And now I think I know why she did it."

He pulled a stack of papers from his bag. Bank statements. Transaction records.

"I've been digging into the company finances for months," he said. "Long before you came back. There are discrepancies. Millions of dollars missing. Not from when you were there. From the last two years. Eleanor's been siphoning money into offshore accounts."

I leaned forward, ignoring the pain. "How much?"

"Almost twelve million dollars," Ethan said. "She's been covering it up by falsifying reports. But the new auditors the board hired are going to find out soon. Probably within the next two weeks."

"So she needed to take over the company before they found out," I said, the picture becoming clearer. "If she controlled everything, she could cover her tracks. But Mother changed the will. Left everything to me. Her plan was ruined."

"Unless you were dead," Ethan finished. "Then James inherits. Eleanor controls James. Problem solved."

Twelve million dollars. Attempted murder. And she was still walking around free.

"We need to go to the board," I said. "Show them these records."

"We will," Ethan said. "But not yet. Eleanor will know we're onto her. And she'll move faster. We need to build an airtight case. Financial records, witness testimony, everything. We hit her with all of it at once. No chance for her to talk her way out."

"And in the meantime?" I asked. "She's already threatened me over the phone. She'll try again."

"Then we make sure she can't get to you," Ethan said. "I talked to the hospital. You're being discharged tomorrow. You're not going back to the family home. You're coming with me."

I looked at him. "Ethan..."

"My place is secure," he said. "I have a security system. I'll have someone watching the house 24/7. She won't get within a hundred feet of you. I promise."

I wanted to say yes. I wanted nothing more than to be somewhere safe, with Ethan protecting me. But there was something I had to do first.

"I need to see Mother," I said. "Before I go into hiding. I need to tell her what's happening. She has to know the truth about Eleanor. About the will. About everything."

Ethan hesitated. "Claire, if Eleanor finds out you're going to the house..."

"Then we go now," I said. "Tonight. While she's busy with her lawyers. While she thinks I'm helpless in this hospital bed. We sneak out. We see Mother. And then we disappear."

Ethan studied my face. He knew he couldn't change my mind.

"Okay," he said finally. "But we're in and out. Thirty minutes max. And if anything feels wrong, we leave. Immediately."

"Agreed."

Ten minutes later, Ethan was helping me into a hoodie and sweatpants. We snuck out through the hospital's service entrance, avoiding the main lobby where Eleanor might have someone watching.

The drive to the family estate was silent. The house loomed ahead, dark and imposing, only a few lights glowing in the windows.

Ethan parked down the street.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded, though my heart was hammering against my bruised ribs.

We approached the house through the side garden, sticking to the shadows. The old kitchen door was unlocked, just like it had been when I was a child sneaking out at night.

We slipped inside.

The house was quiet. Too quiet.

We moved toward Mother's bedroom at the end of the west wing. My steps were slow, careful. Each breath hurt.

We reached the door. It was slightly ajar.

I pushed it open.

And froze.

Mother was in bed. But she wasn't alone.