I Told My Roommate My Date Rejected Me… Her Next Words Left Me Speechless
Chapter 4
Ryan appeared three days later.
He was waiting outside Claire’s office.
I only knew because Claire called me.
“I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Can you pick me up?”
“What’s wrong?”
“He’s here.”
I knew immediately.
I drove downtown.
Claire was standing outside the building.
Ryan was across the street.
He looked polished.
Expensive watch.
Perfect hair.
Confident smile.
The kind of man who knew people usually said yes to him.
Claire got into my car.
“Go.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
I pulled away.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked,
“Did he threaten you?”
“No.”
“Did he touch you?”
“No.”
“Then why are you scared?”
Claire stared out the window.
“Because he knows how to get inside people’s heads.”
She looked at me.
“He used to make me question everything I remembered.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
“What does he want?”
“I don’t know.”
Then her phone buzzed.
A message.
She looked at it.
Her face went pale.
“What?”
She handed me the phone.
I know you didn’t tell him.
I looked at her.
“Tell me what?”
She shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“Claire.”
“Please.”
I pulled the car over.
“No more secrets.”
She looked at me.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
“I’ll tell you.”
“When?”
“When I can.”
“That isn’t fair.”
“I know.”
She started crying.
I immediately regretted raising my voice.
“I’m sorry.”
She wiped her face.
“I’ve spent years trying to keep this buried.”
“What?”
“My father was a lawyer.”
I waited.
“He represented Ryan’s family.”
“And?”
“My father discovered they were hiding money.”
I blinked.
“What kind?”
“Corporate fraud.”
“What does that have to do with Ryan?”
“He knew.”
“Did he help?”
Claire shook her head.
“He threatened my father.”
“What happened to your father?”
“He died.”
I went silent.
“Car accident.”
I stared at her.
“Claire…”
“I never told anyone because the case was closed.”
“Do you think it wasn’t an accident?”
“I don’t know.”
She looked at me.
“But Ryan came back the same week the old case was reopened.”
My stomach tightened.
“By who?”
“Federal investigators.”
She looked down.
“My father left something.”
“What?”
“A file.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
I frowned.
“Then why does Ryan think you have it?”
“Because my father told me, before he died, that if anything happened to him…”
She swallowed.
“I should never trust Ryan again.”
We drove home in silence.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
At 2:00 a.m., I heard the front door.
I got up.
Claire was standing there.
She looked terrified.
“What’s wrong?”
“I heard something outside.”
I checked the hallway.
Nothing.
Then I noticed a small envelope under the door.
No name.
I opened it.
Inside was a photocopy of a document.
At the bottom was Claire’s father’s signature.
And beside it was a handwritten note:
He died protecting the truth.
Claire looked at the page.
Then looked at me.
“I think they know we found it.”
“We?”
She nodded.
“You said we.”
She took my hand.
“I did.”
And for the first time, I realized she wasn’t just asking me to help.
She was asking me to stay.
