I laid it on the table, keeping my fingers pressed firmly on the center of it.

“This is the end of us, Ethan,” I said.

“I can live with that,” he said, pulling the check out from under my hand.

He stood up, folding the paper and tucking it into his jacket.

He looked down at me, his eyes bright with a false sense of victory.

“I’ll let my mother know we’re finished here,” he said.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “Please do.”

He turned and walked out of the conference room, his heavy leather shoes squeaking on the polished floor.

The glass door clicked shut behind him.

I looked at Marcus, who was already picking up his desk phone.

“Get the forensic team on the line,” Marcus told his assistant.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my cell phone to check the time.

Before I could lock the screen, the phone began to vibrate violently in my hand.

An unknown number flashed on the screen.

I pressed the phone to my ear, my chest tightening.

“Sophia,” a panicked voice whispered on the other end, barely audible over a rushing sound.