Chapter 6: Final Anchor

"How do you know?" I said.

Audrey shook her head.

"Don't ask me yet."

"Audrey."

"Please, Ethan. Give me until morning."

She went upstairs, and I heard the bedroom door close.

She did not lock it.

I listened for the lock for an hour, and it never came.

*Disclosure noted. Counterparty already informed. Grace period unchanged.*

I read the system's line three times in the dark.

*Counterparty.*

I did not know whose name that was, and the system did not say.

*Day three of three.*

At seven I made coffee for two and left hers outside the bedroom door.

At eight I heard the shower.

At 8:40 Susie's old hatchback came up the drive, and she jumped out in her scrubs with a bag of bagels.

"I got off the night shift and came straight here," she said. "Is Audrey okay? She texted me one word at four a.m."

"What word?"

"Ethan."

My throat closed.

"That's all?"

"That's all. So I came." She looked at me more closely. "You look like death. Sit down. Eat a bagel."

I did not get to sit.

A silver sedan turned into the driveway behind her car and stopped with its nose almost at my bumper.

Travis got out in a clean charcoal suit, with a leather folder under his arm.

It was nine in the morning on a Friday, and the neighbor across the street was already raking his leaves.

Two houses down, a woman stood on her porch with a mug, watching.

Travis waved at both of them.

"Morning, Ethan," he said, warm as ever. "Is Audrey up? She and I have a signing."

Keep reading free with an account. Start Perfect Husband Act: Now My Wife's Sorry from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.