Chapter 3

Philip and Joe exchanged a glance.

Looking at the distraught young man before them, Philip's jaw tightened. He struggled to find words that wouldn't shatter him completely.

"We've discovered a body... female, unidentified," he said finally, his tone carefully measured.

Zayne's legs gave out beneath him. He crumpled to the floor, whispering, "God, no... please, no..."

Philip retrieved an evidence bag, extracting a pink cardigan. "We recovered this from the scene. Does it look familiar?"

Zayne's tear-filled eyes focused on the garment. He studied the tag, then his expression shifted abruptly. "Hold on... Lisa would never buy this. She breaks out from synthetic fibers—strictly natural materials only."

Joe and Philip's eyes met briefly.

"You're certain about that?" Philip asked.

"One hundred percent," Zayne said, desperation creeping into hope. "I need to try her number again..."

His hands shook as he pulled out his phone and dialed. This time, it connected.

A woman's voice filled the room: "Baby? Where did you go? I've been calling everywhere!"

"Thank God! I'll explain everything when I get there!" Zayne scrambled to his feet, hurriedly thanking the detectives before bolting out the door.

Philip exhaled slowly. So did I.

But the investigation hit wall after wall. Every lead the team pursued dissolved into nothing.

With each passing hour, the lines around Philip's eyes deepened. The case was going nowhere.

...

Two days later, Joe appeared in the doorway, concern etched across his features. "We need to talk about Evelyn. She's been gone almost a week now—that's not normal."

Philip's frustration with the stalled case erupted at my name.

"For the last time, she's perfectly fine. I've got a psycho dismembering women out there, and you want me to go chasing after someone hiding out at a friend's place because we had an argument?"

Joe's restraint snapped. "Listen to yourself! Your wife vanishes without a trace and you think it's just drama? Fine—if you won't look for her, I will!"

Philip made a dismissive gesture. "Be my guest. Maybe I'll finally get some peace and quiet."

"What the hell happened to you?" Joe's voice cracked with anger as he stormed out.

I watched from my corner, witnessing Joe fight for me while my own husband couldn't care less, and something inside me broke all over again.

When would he understand? When would he see that I wasn't playing games—that I was already gone?

Moments after Joe left, Philip's phone buzzed. Sarah's name appeared on the screen.

"Listen, I know you two had a fight, but this isn't like Evelyn. Nobody's heard from her—not me, not anyone. Something feels off. Can you just—"

"What do you want me to do, Sarah? Hire a private investigator because my wife decided to ghost everyone? I've got actual crimes to solve!" Philip's voice dripped with irritation.

He ended the call and typed furiously into his phone: "This silent treatment is getting old. Come home before you regret pushing me this far."

My spirit wept beside him, invisible and voiceless.

I'm here, Philip. I never left. I've been in the morgue down the hall for forty-eight hours. Why won't you see? Why won't you believe Joe?

The door opened. Sophia entered, carrying an insulated bag.

Philip's entire demeanor transformed. "Hey, you didn't have to come all this way."

"You've been working yourself to death. Someone needs to make sure you eat," she replied, her smile perfectly practiced.

His expression softened in a way it never did for me anymore. "You're too good to me. Wish everyone showed this kind of consideration instead of making everything about themselves."

Sophia's eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. Philip immediately shifted into protective mode. "What happened? Did someone upset you?"

She touched her wrist delicately, wincing. "I saw Evelyn earlier. I tried to be friendly, ask if she was okay... She shoved me hard and threw something at me. Said to tell you she's done with you, done with everything."

Philip's gaze dropped to her reddened, swelling wrist. His face darkened as he grabbed his phone. "That's crossing a line."

Joe, who'd returned for forgotten paperwork, caught sight of what Sophia held. He moved quickly, taking it from her hand. "Where did you say you got this?"

Sophia flinched at his sharp tone, stepping closer to Philip. "I... I just told you. Evelyn threw it at me."

"That's impossible," Joe said flatly. "This ring hasn't left Evelyn's finger since the day Philip put it there. He made it himself. She'd sooner cut off her hand than take this off."

Philip activated his phone's speaker function. "Just watch. She'll pick up and you'll hear exactly what kind of stunt she's pulling."

Even I couldn't believe it when the call connected.

Philip's voice turned vicious: "You've got exactly one chance to explain yourself. Assaulting Sophia? Throwing away your wedding ring? What kind of sick game are you—"

A different voice interrupted his tirade.

"Detective Lancaster? This is Harlan from forensics. We've recovered this mobile phone from a crime scene. You should get down here immediately."