hapter 18 

Claire’s eyes burned with hatred. 

“Nathan’s a perfectionist about his grooming he’d never leave stubble in his razor,” I said softly. “You planted that evidence, didn’t you?” 

“When he showed me those gloves I’d given him, everything clicked. He might have betrayed me, but he’d never use something I made as a bathroom prop.” 

“You spotted me following that day. So you staged it all – the stubble, the scarf, the lingerie 

carefully arranged on the bed.” 

“Then you saw my car and put on your little show. How pathetically desperate.” 

I met her unhinged stare. “Your greed ruined everything. If you hadn’t tried to manipulate 

me with that shaving setup, you could’ve kept playing house in the shadows. You got greedy, Claire. That’s on you.” 

Suddenly there was a blur of motion – Nathan’s hands wrapping around Claire’s throat. 

“It was you!” he roared, all pretense of control gone. “Everything! You scheming witch! You 

killed my parents and now you’ve taken Emma from me! You’re poison – I’ll kill you!” 

Claire’s eyes rolled back as she went limp. 

Security rushed in, struggling to pull Nathan back. 

He fought against them, completely unraveled. “I’ll kill you!” 

Claire stumbled to her feet, gasping for air. 

Nathan, we’re your real family!” she shrieked. “She’s the one who destroyed everything – 

us, our son! She’s the one who deserves to die!” 

She turned on me, something feral in her eyes. “Everything will be ours once you’re gone!” 

The Perfect Husband’s Secret 

89.5% 

Time slowed. A flash of metal in her hand. 

Emma!” 

4 

It happened like a scene in slow motion Nathan throwing himself between us. The blade catching the harsh fluorescent lights before disappearing into his chest. 

For a moment, everything stopped. A dark stain bloomed across his white shirt like spilled wine. He looked down, almost puzzled, then back at me. His eyes were surprisingly clear. 

“Looks like I’ll miss our court date,” he whispered, trying for that old familiar smile one last time. 

His legs gave out. He crumpled like a marionette with cut strings. 

Claire’s scream shattered the frozen moment. She stared at her trembling hands, now slick with red, her face contorting as the reality of what she’d done hit her. 

People materialized from nowhere – security shouting into radios, someone calling 911, a 

woman’s voice yelling for a doctor. 

But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t process. 

I just stood there, watching my past and present collide in a pool of blood on the courthouse 

parking lot concrete. 

C 

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