The Man With the Silver Watch
Chapter 02 - The Man With the Silver Watch
Daniel ran through St. Catherine’s with the gift bag swinging from one hand and Emily’s unanswered phone call still open on the screen.
He found Claire outside the operating room. Her scrubs were marked with rainwater from helping paramedics, and her expression hardened when she saw him.
“Where were you?” she demanded.
“I didn’t know she was here.”
“She called you before the crash.”
“I was in a meeting with my phone locked away.” Daniel fought to catch his breath. “Is she alive?”
Claire glanced toward the red light above the surgical doors. “For now.”
Those two words struck harder than any accusation.
Daniel explained that Emily had left him after receiving evidence of an affair. The woman in the hotel photographs was a forensic accountant he had secretly hired after discovering missing company funds. He had planned to tell Emily once he knew who was responsible, but he waited too long. The secrecy made every lie sent to her look real.
Claire slowly unfolded the note Emily had given her.
Daniel,
I know Marcus framed you. The proof is on a flash drive hidden inside the blue rabbit in the baby’s room. He followed me tonight. If anything happens, protect Lily. And please know that I was coming back.
Daniel read it twice before his knees weakened.
A doctor emerged. Their daughter had been delivered and was breathing with assistance, but Emily had suffered internal injuries. She needed another procedure, and the hospital required authorization from her medical proxy.
Daniel reached for the papers.
Before he could sign, two police officers stepped into the hall.
“Mr. Hart,” one said, “we need to ask about your wife’s crash.”
The questions came quickly. Why had Emily left him? Why had Daniel increased her life insurance? Why had witnesses heard them arguing weeks earlier? Daniel answered, but every truth sounded like a carefully prepared excuse.
Then Marcus arrived.
He wore a rain-darkened coat and carried concern on his face like a costume. “Daniel, I came as soon as I heard.”
Daniel stared at the silver watch on Marcus’s wrist—the same kind Emily had described in her note.
Marcus pulled him aside. “The police already think you did this. Sign your company shares over to me, and I’ll pay for the best defense attorney in the state.”
Daniel’s grief turned cold.
“You knew she was here before I told anyone.”
Marcus smiled without warmth. “Be careful. Your wife is unconscious, and unconscious people can’t correct the story.”
Claire stood several feet away, pretending to check a chart. Her phone was recording every word.
Inside the operating room, an alarm began to sound.
The surgeon shouted for more blood.
May you like
Daniel signed the authorization, then looked Marcus directly in the eyes.
“You made one mistake,” he said. “Emily survived long enough to name you.”
