I lay awake afterward listening to Theo breathe.

For the first time since my wedding, I had told the truth about what happened behind a beautiful front door.

It frightened me.

It also made that door feel farther away.

PART 9

Frank went home to collect my things with two friends who knew how to pack quietly and keep records.

He did not enter the Sterling estate.

Instead, he retrieved belongings from my old bungalow, which he had been maintaining while I was married.