Chapter 8 - THE BREAK-IN
That night, Grace stayed at Nathan's house.
She did not sleep.
At 2:17 a.m., glass shattered downstairs.
Nathan shouted.
"Grace, lock the door!"
Marcus ran past her room.
Caleb pushed her into the bathroom.
"Stay here."
A struggle echoed through the hall.
Then silence.
Police arrived minutes later.
A man lay facedown near the kitchen.
His name was Dennis Vail.
He worked private security for Pierce Urban Partners.
Inside his backpack were bolt cutters, blank corporate forms, and photographs.
Grace picked up one.
It showed her leaving her obstetrician's office three weeks earlier.
Another showed Nathan's home.
The last picture was worse.
It showed the ultrasound box on Grace's dining table.
Taken before Ethan and Lauren arrived on their anniversary.
Someone had been inside the house.
Nathan's jaw tightened.
"They knew about the baby."
Grace felt cold.
Caleb searched the intruder's phone.
A deleted message had been recovered.
WAIT UNTIL ETHAN LEAVES.
Grace looked up.
"Ethan leaves where?"
Marcus found another thread.
The answer was a date.
Eleven days earlier.
The same day Ethan had met with a divorce attorney.
Caleb pulled the lawyer's email from the audit.
Ethan had asked what would happen if Grace was pregnant.
He had also asked whether custody could be used as "leverage" if her family became involved.
Grace read the word twice.
Leverage.
Her unborn child had appeared in Ethan's strategy before she had ever told him the baby existed.
Then Ethan called.
Grace answered.
"Who told you I might be pregnant?"
May you like
He was silent too long.
Finally he said, "Lauren."
