Chapter 3

Liam's call came an hour later. His voice was smooth as silk, dripping with the fake affection that now sounded like nails on a chalkboard to me.

"Hey, babe. How was your day?"

"Long," I said, keeping my own voice even, a practiced calm I had perfected over years of corporate battles. "Just got home."

"I miss you," he cooed. "Listen, a few of the guys are coming over tonight for a small get-together. Mike, Dave, you know them. Chloe might stop by too. Just some drinks, a little fun. You should join us."

The casual mention of Chloe's name was a deliberate test. He wanted to see if I would react. The casualness was the performance. I felt a surge of disgust so profound it almost choked me. They were setting the stage.

"Sounds fun," I said, my voice bright and cheerful. "I'll be there. I just need to freshen up a bit."

"Great! Can't wait to see you," he said, the satisfaction in his voice barely concealed.

"You too, honey," I replied, and hung up before he could hear the ice in my tone.

I walked into his closet, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. He was predictable. Where would a man like Liam hide something illicit? Not in his expensive suits. He respected them too much. I went straight for his gym bag, tucked away in the corner.

Under a pile of sweaty clothes, I found it. A small, clear glass vial with a dropper cap. The label had been meticulously scraped off, but a faint, sticky residue remained. It was exactly as I had imagined. The instrument of my downfall.

My hands were steady as I took the vial to the bathroom. I emptied the contents down the sink, rinsing it thoroughly. Then, I grabbed a bottle of sterile saline solution from my contact lens supply, a simple, harmless salt water. I carefully refilled the vial with the saline and screwed the dropper cap back on. It looked identical.

I placed the vial back in his gym bag, tucking it under the clothes exactly as I had found it. Phase one of my counter-plan was complete.

As I was walking back to the living room, my phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number. "This is Sarah Miller. The woman from the forum. I have more information if you need it. Be careful."

I saved the number. An ally.

Just then, I heard Liam's voice from the bedroom. He must have left his phone connected to the Bluetooth speaker. He was talking to his mother.

"...yeah, she's coming," Liam was saying. "Everything is set. Just be ready to come over tomorrow morning. She'll be... disoriented. We'll need you to be a witness to how 'unstable' she's been lately."

"Don't worry, son," his mother's voice replied, sickeningly sweet. "We'll tell everyone how concerned we've been. That high-pressure job of hers, it's just too much for a young woman. It's a tragedy waiting to happen."

They had the whole story written. The concerned family, the unstable girlfriend, the tragic accident. My blood ran cold. They were all in on it. This wasn't just Liam and Chloe. It was a family conspiracy.

I walked into the kitchen, my mind racing. My eyes landed on the bottle of expensive vodka on the counter, Liam's favorite. He and his friends would undoubtedly be drinking it tonight. An idea, cold and vicious, began to form in my mind.

I took out the real drug I had found, the one now stored in a different container. I measured a small, but effective, amount. Not enough to be lethal, but enough to cause chaos. I carefully added it to the vodka bottle, swirling it gently until it dissolved completely.

Then, I took a bottle of sparkling water for myself and set it aside. Let the games begin.