Morgan had forgotten that lesson in the daily exhaustion of marriage.
At ten that night, Julian sent a photograph of the velvet box sitting open on their kitchen table.
You took it. Don’t lie to me.
Morgan showed Priya.
“He’s searched for it,” Priya said.
A moment later another message arrived.
If you keep making me look like a monster, you’ll regret it.
Morgan’s hands began to shake. Priya helped her document the threat and contact the investigator handling her report. They discussed practical safety steps: staying somewhere Julian couldn’t access, changing passwords, and arranging to retrieve essentials with help rather than alone.
Morgan looked down at her wedding ring.
She hadn’t taken it off yet.
PART 5 — THE SECOND NAME
Two days later, Evelyn met Morgan and Priya at a quiet office arranged by the investigator. She was smaller than Morgan remembered, her green beret tucked into a canvas handbag. She smelled faintly of lavender, exactly as she had on the bus.
