My Wife Died 4 Years Ago — Then I Saw Her Holding Another Man’s Hand on a Luxury Cruise
Chapter 3
The man in the photograph was named Adrian Cole.
At least, that was the identity he was using.
Elena told me he had boarded the ship in Miami using a diplomatic passport.
That immediately made me suspicious.
“Is he government?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why does he have a diplomatic passport?”
Elena shook her head.
“That’s not the strangest part.”
“What is?”
“He’s been watching you.”
My stomach tightened.
“For how long?”
“Since before the cruise.”
I looked toward the cabin door.
“Why?”
“Because Claire asked him to.”
That hurt.
My wife had been alive for four years.
And she had been watching me.
Without contacting me.
Without explaining anything.
Without telling me she was alive.
I wanted to hate her.
But I couldn’t.
Not yet.
That night, I found another photograph hidden beneath my pillow.
It showed Claire and me on our wedding day.
But someone had drawn a red circle around my face.
Underneath it were the words:
HE DOESN’T KNOW.
I stared at the photograph.
Then I heard footsteps outside.
I opened the door.
Nobody.
At the end of the hallway, a man disappeared around the corner.
I followed.
He entered a service elevator.
I reached it just before the doors closed.
Inside was Adrian.
He looked at me calmly.
“You should stop.”
“Where is my wife?”
“You’re not ready to see her.”
“She is my wife.”
“She was.”
The elevator descended.
I stepped closer.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian looked at me.
“Claire Bennett died four years ago.”
My heart stopped.
“I saw her.”
“You saw the woman she became.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
Adrian walked out.
Then turned.
“Your wife disappeared because she discovered something about you.”
I froze.
“What?”
He smiled sadly.
“You should ask yourself why someone went to such lengths to make you believe she was dead.”
Then he walked away.
I stood alone in the service corridor.
A terrible thought entered my mind.
What if Claire hadn’t been hiding from me?
What if she had been hiding because of me?
