AMARA'S POV
We burst into Martin's office. He's on the phone.
Yes... No... Fine. We'll be there. He hangs up. Sit.
What's the new evidence? Gabriel demands.
Martin plays a video. Last week. Gabriel's penthouse.
My voice: I can't believe we fooled them. Officer Martinez actually thought we were in love.
Gabriel's voice: We're good actors. Always have been.
Me: What happens when the year is up? When we divorce for real?
Gabriel: Then we go our separate ways. Like we agreed. This was always temporary.
Video stops.
I can't breathe.
That's not I start. We were joking! Being sarcastic!
Can you prove that? Martin asks.
Show the whole conversation!
This is all she has. Forty-seven seconds. She edited it. But proving that requires the original. Which we don't have.
How did she even get this? Gabriel asks.
Hidden surveillance. Could be anywhere. Martin closes the laptop. This is bad. Combined with your earlier admissions, the case against you is almost impossible to defend.
Almost? I grab that word.
You need something big. Proof your marriage is real. Something tangible.
We have two weeks, Gabriel says.
To manufacture proof that can't be manufactured. Martin looks grim. Your chances dropped to almost zero.
Prison. Deportation. Everything gone.
One option left, Martin says. Plea deal. Mr. Stone pleads guilty, takes responsibility. Two years prison. Ms. Okoye deports but avoids prison.
No, Gabriel says immediately. We stay together.
Then you both go to prison. For much longer.
Silence.
My phone rings. Unknown number. I answer.
Hello, Amara. Enjoying my video?
Victoria.
How are you out on bail? You murdered someone.
Money buys freedom. I have more videos. Hours of footage. Weeks of recordings. All showing your fake marriage.
You edited
Prove it in court. Or accept my offer.
Which is?
Drop all charges against me. Recant your testimony. Say you misheard my confession. In exchange, I destroy the surveillance footage.
Gabriel grabs the phone. You want us to let you get away with murder?
Your mother or your wife, nephew. Elena's justice or Amara's freedom. You have until the preliminary hearing. Two weeks. Recant or I release everything.
She hangs up.
Martin heard. We can't negotiate. If you recant
We go to prison for perjury, Gabriel finishes.
There's another option, Martin says. Get Victoria to confess again. On tape. Set a trap. Wear a wire.
She'll search us.
Not if she thinks you're cooperating. Call her back. Say you'll recant. She'll think she won.
We set it up. Police involved. Wires hidden. Voice-activated audio planted in the Stone estate ahead of time.
I call Victoria. We want to discuss terms.
Smart. Where?
Stone estate. Tomorrow. Noon.
Poetic. Come alone. Both of you. If I see police, footage goes public.
Understood.
Don't try to record. I'll check. Thoroughly.
By evening, it's ready. Tomorrow we meet Victoria. Get her confession. Save ourselves.
If it works.
Gabriel and I go home. The penthouse feels tainted now. Knowing Victoria watched us. Recorded us. Twisted our words.
We should check for more bugs, I say.
Already did. Nothing. But she's smart. Could be anywhere.
We sit in silence. The weight of tomorrow crushing us.
What if this doesn't work? I whisper.
Then we figure out plan B.
What's plan B?
I don't know yet. Gabriel takes my hand. But I know I'm not losing you.
You might not have a choice.
There's always a choice. He pulls me close. I love you. That's real. Whatever happens tomorrow, that doesn't change.
I love you too.
We hold each other. Knowing tomorrow changes everything.
That night, I can't sleep. Every sound makes me jump. Every shadow looks like a camera.
At 3 AM, my phone buzzes. Text from unknown number.
I know about the trap. I know about the wires. I know about the hidden audio. Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Game over. See you tomorrow. Bring the police. I dare you. -V
I show Gabriel. His face goes white.
She knows. How does she know?
Someone's feeding her information. Someone on the inside.
Martin?
No. He's been with us for years. But someone in his office. Or the police. Or... Gabriel trails off.
Or she's bluffing. Trying to scare us.
Is it working?
Yes.
We look at each other. Terrified. Trapped.
Tomorrow, we walk into Victoria's trap. Knowing she expects us. Knowing she's ready.
But we're out of options.
Out of time.
Out of hope.
My phone buzzes again. Different number.
There's another way. Meet me. 6 AM. Corner of 5th and Main. Come alone. Don't tell Gabriel. Don't tell anyone. I can help. But only if you trust me. -A Friend
A Friend. The mystery person who warned us before. Who helped us. Or claimed to.
What? Gabriel asks, seeing my face.
I should tell him. Show him the text.
But something stops me.
What if this is our only chance? What if Gabriel says no? What if we lose everything because I didn't take this meeting?
Nothing, I lie. Just spam.
Gabriel doesn't look convinced. But he doesn't push.
We try to sleep. Fail.
At 5:45 AM, I slip out of bed. Gabriel's asleep. Finally.
I get dressed. Leave a note: Went for a walk. Needed air. Back soon.
Not technically a lie.
I take a cab to 5th and Main. Stand on the corner. Wait.
6 AM. The city is waking up. Few people around.
A car pulls up. Black sedan. Tinted windows.
The passenger door opens.
Get in, Amara.
I know that voice.
I freeze.
It can't be.
I lean down. Look inside.
And my world shatters.
Because sitting in the driver's seat, smiling at me, is someone I thought I'd never see again.
Someone who was supposed to be dead.
Elena Stone. Gabriel's mother.