Footsteps approached.
I shoved the paper into my robe pocket, dropped the necklace back into the glass, and turned just as Daniel entered.
“You’re up early,” he said casually.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
His eyes went straight to the counter.
“What happened?”
“Cheap jewelry,” I said. “Guess it broke.”
He stared at the glass too long.
Then forced a laugh. “That’s… weird. I’ll take it back.”
But I saw it then.
Not disappointment.
Panic.
That was the moment everything changed.
The fear didn’t disappear—it sharpened.
That day at work, I moved like I was outside my own body. I called the insurance company from a payphone. They confirmed it.
Nine days ago, the beneficiary had been changed to Daniel.
With a signed request.
I never signed anything.
That’s when I knew this wasn’t suspicion anymore.
It was a plan.
I called my sister.
“Pack a bag and get out,” she said immediately.
But I couldn’t. Not yet.
Because someone had warned me.
That old woman hadn’t guessed.
She knew.
That night, I pretended everything was normal. Dinner. Conversation. Small complaints about work. I smiled. I laughed. I played the role.
When Daniel fell asleep, I took his phone.
The code worked.
There were messages.
A contact saved as R.