Two weeks earlier, Michael had sat across from his longtime friend and legal advisor Trevor Lawson, explaining the idea that had kept him awake for nights. Trevor had stared at him in disbelief.
“You cannot be serious,” Trevor said. “You want to pretend to be hired help in your own house. This is not reasonable.”
“It is the only way I can see the truth,” Michael replied. “Abigail used to wait for me every night. Now she flinches when I raise my voice. Benjamin goes silent when Patricia enters a room. A few days ago, Abigail told me something I cannot forget. She said that when I am gone, the rules change. That fear in her eyes was not imagination.”
Preparation took days. Michael arranged contracts, purchased a disguise, and memorized a new identity. When he finally looked in the mirror, he barely recognized the man staring back.