Chapter 2– The Lies They Left Behind
992 Words
(Hailey Miller POV)
By morning, I had Caleb buckled into his car seat, bundled in a blanket that still smelled faintly of lavender and formula. I drove to the station, eyes dry.
I didn’t cry.
Not in front of them.
I signed what needed signing. My hand moved. My body sat upright. But inside, I felt like paper—thin, hollow, ready to tear at the next breath.
A female officer—Officer Elena—approached with a box and a stack of paperwork. She placed it gently on the desk in front of me like it might break.
Ethan’s phone. His wallet. A bundle of cash.
Blood money, wrapped in clean bills.
“We’ve contacted the funeral home,” she said matter-of-factly. “Unless… you’d rather leave him to the state.”
I blinked. “What?”
She offered a half-shrug, as if she'd said it a dozen times before. “It happens. Especially in situations like this. The state covers everything. Cremation. Disposal. No burden to you.”
My jaw tightened. Heat crept up my neck, but my voice came low, cold.
“He’s still my husband,” I said.
She studied me for a beat too long, then gave a small nod. No apology. Just acknowledgment.
“Well, everything looks in order,” she said briskly, flipping through the pages. “That’s a good amount of cash. Since
Mr. Romano confirmed he’s not contesting anything, we can help you deposit it safely. You don’t want to be driving around with that much on you.”
I nodded, words barely registering. “Yeah… thanks.”
She gave a practiced smile and turned away.
Caleb stirred softly against my chest, his breath warm against my collarbone. His little body, so small and unaware, was the only thing tethering me to earth. I couldn’t afford to unravel. Not now. Not ever.
I had to think—for him.
I couldn’t stay in the house. Selling it was my only chance of staying afloat. Between the loans and the second mortgage Ethan had buried us under, we were already drowning. If I moved fast, maybe I could keep the wolves at bay a little longer.
But lately, luck felt like a stranger.
Jane had offered her place in California a few months ago—back when things were easier. She was finally getting her life back. I wouldn’t storm in with a baby and a financial ruin strapped to my back.
And yet... I had nowhere else to go.
Lost in my thoughts, I barely heard the voice that cut through the hum of the station.
“You’re all set, Mr. Romano. I’ll reach out to Mr. Costa, get it moving.”
My stomach twisted.
That voice. That name.
Liam Romano.
The man whose wife died next to mine. The man whose name was stamped all over Ethan’s last days.
I’d only met Liam once—months ago, during a company event Ethan insisted we attend. Even then, he had the air of someone who owned every room he stepped into. Jet-black suit, crisp shirt, no smile. He didn’t need to speak loudly. He looked at people like he could read their secrets—and didn't care enough to mention them.
And Madison…
She hadn’t come that night.
Liam had laughed it off, said something about a headache, maybe a family thing. Now, I wondered if she had ever shown up at all. Maybe Ethan wasn’t her first mistake. Just the last one.
But no. That wasn’t fair.
Ethan chose this.
He chose her.
And he left Caleb and me buried under the wreckage.
“Mrs. Miller.”
The voice snapped me back.
Liam stood next to me now. Hands in his pockets. Shoulders stiff. His expression calm, but too still—like everything beneath the surface was clenched.
“I—uh…” I stammered, caught between grief and fury. “Mr. Romano.”
He nodded once. Tightly. “I think after… all this, first names might be more appropriate.”
A pause stretched between us. Thick with the weight of what wasn’t being said.
“Hailey,” I said softly. “You can call me Hailey.”
He gave a small nod. “Liam.”
Silence settled again. Caleb shifted slightly, and I instinctively rubbed his back in slow, circular motions.
“Did they… show you the letter?” Liam asked, voice low. “Or did Ethan leave you something, too?”
I shook my head. “No. Nothing.”
His jaw ticked. “I hadn’t seen it either. The police called before I found it. I’d left early—we had dinner plans with her brother that night.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, though I wasn’t sure who I was saying it for. Him? Me? Madison?
None of it made sense. None of it felt real.
“A phone call feels like a cruel way to find out your life’s been flipped upside down.”
Liam gave a humorless smile. “Madison’s brother is a lawyer. Still has his hands in a few corners. He pulled some strings, but… didn’t soften the blow. I had to identify her.”
His voice dropped. “She was thrown from the car.”
I winced, stomach twisting.
I didn’t want to know that.
But now I did.
His gaze flicked down to Caleb. His eyes softened—just slightly.
“I can’t imagine how much harder this is for you. With the baby…”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It’s our anniversary today.”
His expression cracked. Just for a second. And then, gently, he reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder.
It wasn’t romantic.
It wasn’t even comforting.
It was just human.
And somehow, in that moment, it was the only thing holding me together.
Just then, Officer Elena returned, heels clicking sharply across the tile, a fresh stack of files in hand.
- Writer
