Twenty-Six receipts of betrayal Novel novel Chapter 13

The call from the police came just as Nicholas entered the study, his hand reaching for the drawer beside the printer.

He was utterly lost on where to search for Elara next and had remembered her bucket list, hoping it might hold a clue. He was tearing the place apart looking for it.

But the voice on the phone froze him, his fingers tightening around the drawer pull.

“Is this Nicholas Sterling? This is Officer Martinez from the West Precinct. Do you have a moment? We need to speak with you regarding your wife, Elara Kingston.”

The police.

Those words knocked the air right out of his lungs.

A wave of dread crashed over him, cold and suffocating.

He didn’t even stop for his shoes. He just ran to his car and sped across town.

When he pulled up to the precinct, he felt the building looked familiar.

It wasn’t until he was standing at the entrance, staring up at the badge mounted above the doors, that the memory hit him–he’d been here before with Elara.

He’d asked her what she was doing there and she’d dodged the question, changed the subject.

Standing here now, that memory playing on loop in his head, Nicholas felt his stomach drop.

Whatever he was about to find out was connected to that day. He knew it in his bones.

His heart hammered against his ribs so hard he thought they might crack.

He clenched his fists, trying to convince himself that the police had simply found her–trying to calm himself down.

When he finally got his breathing under control, he walked inside.

An officer greeted him by name and led him to a small, sterile office. The man shuffled through a thick file, then looked up.

“You’re Nicholas Sterling?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“And you’re married to Elara Kingston? You two are still legally married?”

“Yes. We’re married.”

“You haven’t filed for divorce?”

“No.”

The officer’s brow furrowed and he muttered.

“Thought she said they were getting divorced. Why’s she still married?”

Nicholas felt his stomach drop.

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Twenty–Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

11.5%

Chapter 13

Over the past week, he’d heard the word “divorce” from other people–Elara had apparently mentioned.

But she’d never actually said it to HIM. Never served him papers. Never even brought it up.

If she wanted a divorce so badly, why hadn’t she just asked for one? Why disappear instead?

He’d been turning that question over in his head for days, and he’d finally landed on an answer:

She didn’t actually want to leave him. She was just trying to get his attention. Make him realize what he was about to lose. Force him to confess what he’d been doing with Valentina.

The disappearing act was all part of it.

She knew if she vanished, he’d tear the city apart looking for her, he’d talk to everyone she knew, he’d finally figure out what he’d done wrong.

Nicholas had been clinging to that explanation like a lifeline, convincing himself there was still time to fix this.

But sitting across from a detective in a police station, that fragile hope started cracking.

He jumped to his feet, voice cracking with panic.

“She came here before, didn’t she? What was she trying to do?”

“She wanted to pre–file death documentation.”

Nicholas’s vision tunneled. His right eye started twitching uncontrollably.

He couldn’t believe what he heard and asked again stumblingly.

“She… she what? And you–did you process it?”

The officer held up the thick stack of papers and waved them slightly, his tone matter of fact

“Of course not. She was alive and well at the time. I can’t violate procedure like that.”

Nicholas felt his knees buckle with relief.

The next second, the words spoken by the other party made him completely stunned.

“But we can process it now. That’s why we called you in. Since you two are still married, you’re listed as next of kin, so we need you to handle the arrangements. Sign off on everything. I’m really sorry for your loss. She was so young. Between the wheelchair and the severe depression…

just a tragedy.”

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