Chapter 7 - THE REVEAL AT THE TOP OF THE LANDING
The warm morning light filtering through the second-floor window seemed to freeze, suspending the dust motes in the air like suspended gold.
Adrian Vale stood at the base of the staircase, his broad chest rising and falling in shallow, rapid cycles. Every instinct as a powerful, controlling businessman screamed at him to rush up those wooden stairs, to break through the threshold, and to demand answers for seven years of living hell. Yet, his boots remained anchored to the hardwood floor, paralyzed by the sheer, terrifying gravity of the moment.
The shadow at the top of the stairs shifted again.
A slender hand, bearing a thin silver band on the ring finger, reached out to rest against the polished oak railing of the upper landing.
"Emma, who are you talking to down there?" the voice called again. It was closer now, clearer, carrying that distinct, low-alt timbre that Adrian had replayed in his memory ten thousand times.
Emma turned her head toward Adrian, her chestnut curls bouncing. She gave his hand another small, insistent tug.
"Tell her your name, Grumpy," Emma whispered encouragingly. "She says we shouldn't talk to strangers, but you have her picture."
Adrian swallowed hard, his throat dry, his voice a raspy whisper that barely cleared his lips.
"Claire..." Adrian choked out.
The hand on the upper railing went instantly, unnaturally rigid.
May you like
The woman behind the doorway froze. The casual, motherly warmth that had filled her voice vanished in a single beat, replaced by a sudden, suffocating silence that heavy-dropped over the entire house.
Slowly, the figure stepped out from behind the doorframe into the full light of the second-floor landing.
