PART 3

Jenna stood frozen in the middle of the room, still holding the phone against her ear even though the call had already ended.

Claire was alive.

The woman Ethan had spoken about as a painful memory wasn’t a memory at all.

She was real.

And she had just warned Jenna.

“Ethan is not who you think he is.”

Those words repeated in Jenna’s mind.

“Jenna…”

Ethan’s voice pulled her back.

She slowly turned around.

“What happened to Claire?”

His face was tense.

“I can explain.”

She shook her head.

“That’s what you always say.”

The man standing in front of her suddenly felt like a stranger.

The same man who used to make her laugh.

The same man who held her hand and promised she was special.

Now she wondered how much of it was real.

“Did you know she was alive?” Jenna asked.

Ethan looked down.

That was enough of an answer.

Her heart sank.

“You knew.”

“Jenna, please listen.”

“How long?”

Silence.

“How long did you know Claire was alive?”

Ethan took a deep breath.

“Three months.”

Jenna stepped back.

Three months.

Three months of lies.

Three months of Ethan pretending everything was normal.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what? Losing me?”

Ethan didn’t answer.

And Jenna realized something.

Maybe he wasn’t afraid of losing her.

Maybe he was afraid of losing control.

The next morning, Jenna decided to find Claire.

She needed answers.

Not excuses.

Not half-truths.

Answers.

Claire had sent her a location.

A small coffee shop outside town.

When Jenna arrived, she saw her immediately.

Claire looked different from the pictures.

The confident influencer image was gone.

She looked tired.

Like someone who had been carrying a secret for years.

“You came,” Claire said softly.

Jenna sat across from her.

“I need the truth.”

Claire nodded.

“I know.”

For a moment, neither woman spoke.

Then Claire began.

“Ethan wasn’t always obsessed with perfection.”

Jenna listened carefully.

“When we first met, he was charming. Sweet. Everyone loved him.”

“Just like me,” Jenna whispered.

Claire looked down.

“Yes.”

That answer hurt.

“But after a while, things changed.”

“How?”

“He started criticizing small things. My clothes. My appearance. The way I talked.”

Jenna felt a chill.

“He wanted me to become someone else.”

“Someone perfect?”

Claire nodded.

“Someone he could control.”

The word stayed in the air.

Control.

“What happened the night you disappeared?”

Claire looked away.

“That night, I told him I was leaving.”

Jenna held her breath.

“He didn’t accept it.”

“What did he do?”

Claire’s eyes filled with fear.

“He followed me.”

The silence was heavy.

“We argued near the road. He kept saying I couldn’t leave him.”

Jenna felt sick.

“And then?”

Claire looked at her.

“There was an accident.”

“What kind?”

Claire hesitated.

“I fell.”

Jenna stared at her.

“Because of Ethan?”

Claire didn’t answer immediately.

But her silence said enough.

“He thought I was dead,” Claire finally said.

Jenna covered her mouth.

“He left me there.”

The room seemed to spin.

“He abandoned you?”

Claire nodded.

“I survived. But I was terrified. I disappeared because I knew if I came back, he would find me.”

Jenna looked down.

Everything suddenly connected.

The showers.

The perfumes.

The obsession.

Ethan wasn’t trying to help her.

He was trying to recreate something he lost.

A person.

A perfect image.

A fantasy.

“But why contact me now?” Jenna asked.

Claire reached into her bag and placed a small device on the table.

“I found this.”

“What is it?”

“A recording.”

Claire pressed a button.

A familiar voice filled the air.

Ethan’s voice.

“Nobody can know what happened that night.”

Jenna felt her entire body freeze.

Claire looked at her.

“I kept this because I knew one day I would need proof.”

Before Jenna could respond, her phone started ringing.

Ethan.

She stared at the screen.

Then Claire whispered:

“Now you know why I warned you.”

Jenna answered.

“Hello?”

Ethan’s voice sounded desperate.

“Where are you?”

She looked at Claire.

Then at the recording.

And for the first time…

she wasn’t afraid of losing Ethan.

She was afraid of what he was capable of.

“I know about Claire,” Jenna said.

Silence.

A long, terrifying silence.

Then Ethan whispered:

“Who told you?”

Jenna closed her eyes.

Because his reaction confirmed everything.