“Forgive me. My mom needs surgery. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m not a bad wife. I just didn’t know how to tell you I’m scared.”
Liam slumped down in a chair. “The money was for her mother,” he said, his voice breaking. “Mrs. Hazel has a tumor. Nora was saving up for the operation because she didn’t want to burden me with any more problems. And you pointed her out like she was a thief.”
Gwen lifted her face, her eyes swollen. “I did not know.”
“Because you never asked,” Liam replied. “Just like me.”
The silence was worse than any scream. Owen arrived shortly after with two officers, and Gwen was taken in for questioning. She was not handcuffed, but she had the look of someone who had just understood that a poorly chosen word can turn into tragedy.
That same afternoon, the police arrested Paige Brewer at the factory where she worked. In her apartment, they found a hidden jar, deleted messages, and a notebook with dates.
