Gavin ordered pizza at 7:15 PM.
I watched through the camera Petra had installed in the smoke detector three weeks ago. He called Alicia from the landline. Not his cell. The landline he'd told me was for emergencies only.
"Hey," he said. His voice was warm. Easy. "Want to come over? I'm ordering from that place on Second."
Alicia's voice came through tinny on the speaker. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Come on. We should talk. Clear the air."
Silence.
"Please," Gavin said. "Just pizza. That's all."
She agreed.
She arrived at 8:40 PM. Hair pulled back. No makeup. Jeans and a sweater. She looked tired.
Gavin opened the door with a smile. The charcoal suit was gone. He was in a T-shirt and joggers. Barefoot. Relaxed. Like nothing had happened.
The pizza was already on the coffee table. Two plates. Two beers. He'd set it up like a date.
Alicia sat on the far end of the couch. Gavin sat in the middle. Close but not touching. He handed her a plate.
"Pepperoni and mushroom," he said. "Your favorite."
She took it. Didn't eat.
Gavin ate. Three slices. He drank his beer. Talked about work. About Marcus. About the promotion committee meeting in two weeks. His voice was light. Conversational. Like they were old friends catching up.
Alicia picked at the crust on her plate.
"You're quiet," Gavin said.
"I'm tired."
"Yeah. It's been a rough week." He took another bite. Chewed. Swallowed. "But it's almost over."
She looked at him. "What does that mean?"
He shrugged. "The wire went through this afternoon. Quinn's parents paid. So the whole thing's handled."
Alicia set her plate down. "Handled."
"Yeah." He reached for another slice. "I mean, obviously I can't keep the full eight hundred thousand. I'll have to pay off the blackmailer. But there'll be enough left over to cover things. Get ahead a little."
"And Quinn?"
Gavin paused mid-bite. Looked at her. "What about Quinn?"
"When does she come back?"
He set the slice down. Wiped his hands on a napkin. His face didn't change. His voice stayed light.
"I don't know," he said.
Alicia's hands curled into fists on her lap. "You don't know."
"No. I mean, the whole point of the video was to buy time. To get her parents to stop asking questions. But Quinn's still... wherever she is."
"Gavin."
"What?"
"Where is your wife?"
He looked at her. Really looked at her. Then he picked up his beer. Took a long drink. Set it down.
"Honestly?" he said. "I don't know. And I'm not sure it matters."
The room went very quiet.
Alicia stared at him. "What did you just say?"
Gavin leaned back into the couch. Stretched his arm along the top cushion. His voice was calm. Speculative. Like he was thinking out loud.
"I mean, think about it," he said. "If Quinn never came back. If she just... stayed gone. Her parents already think she was kidnapped. They already paid. The story's already out there. So if she doesn't resurface, what changes?"
Alicia's face went white.
"People disappear all the time," Gavin continued. "Especially women who leave bad situations. Maybe she ran. Maybe she's starting over somewhere. Who knows? But if that's what happened, then... I'm free. Clean slate. No messy divorce. No splitting assets. Just a fresh start."
He took another bite of pizza.
Alicia stood up.
"Where are you going?" Gavin said.
"Home."
"Alicia—"
"Don't." Her voice was shaking. "Don't say another word."
She grabbed her coat off the chair. Walked to the door. Stopped with her hand on the knob.
"You're a monster," she said quietly.
Gavin didn't answer.
She left.
---
Alicia sat in her car in the parking garage for twenty minutes.
Engine off. Hands on the wheel. Staring at nothing.
Then she drove home.
She parked. Walked upstairs. Unlocked her apartment. Dropped her purse on the counter.
Something fell out.
A phone.
Small. Black. Cheap. A burner.
She picked it up. Turned it over in her hands. She didn't remember buying it. Didn't remember putting it in her purse.
She opened it.
One contact saved. No name. Just a number.
She stared at it.
She thought about Gavin's voice. *If Quinn never came back.*
She thought about the wig. The script. The basement.
She thought about eighteen months of believing she was loved.
She dialed.
The phone rang twice.
A woman's voice answered. Calm. Steady. Familiar.
"Hello, Alicia."
Alicia's breath caught. "Quinn?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Alicia's hands were shaking. "Where are you?"
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you called."
"How did you—"
"I've been watching, Alicia. I've been watching everything. And I know what he made you do."
Alicia's voice cracked. "I didn't want to—"
"I know. He forced you. He used you. The same way he's used everyone. But now you have a choice."
"What choice?"
Quinn's voice was very quiet. Very clear.
"You can walk away and hope he doesn't destroy you when this is over. Or you can help me finish what I started. And I will make sure you walk away with something."
"With what?"
"Half of everything Gavin has. Brokerage accounts. Assets. Cash. Legally binding. Ironclad. You testify to what he did. You help me prove it. And you get paid."
Alicia closed her eyes. "Why would you do that?"
"Because he will throw you away the moment you stop being useful. He said so himself. Didn't he?"
Alicia's throat tightened. She didn't answer.
"You heard him tonight," Quinn continued. "You heard what he said about me. About what would happen if I never came back. Do you think you're different? Do you think you're special?"
Alicia's voice was barely a whisper. "No."
"Then help me. And I will make sure you never have to see him again."
Silence.
Alicia opened her eyes. Looked at her reflection in the dark window.
"Did you plan all of this?" she said.
Quinn didn't answer.
The silence was the answer.
Alicia exhaled slowly. "What do you need me to do?"
"Meet me tomorrow. I'll send you the address. Bring everything. Texts. Emails. Photos. Anything that proves what he asked you to do. And Alicia?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell him you called."
The line went dead.
Alicia sat in the dark apartment with the burner phone in her hand.
She thought about the wig.
She thought about Gavin's smile.
She thought about the words *never came back*.
Then she stood up.
And she started packing.
