Chapter 3 - THE RULES OF BELLWEATHER HOUSE
Daniel entered the kitchen carrying white lilies.
The flowers were Emily’s favorite.
That made them more frightening.
He placed them on the counter and kissed her cheek as though their phone argument had never happened.
“I left work early,” he said. “I thought we could have lunch together.”
Emily forced herself to smile.
“That’s nice.”
His gaze moved toward the tablet.
The screen was black again.
“What were you doing?”
“Looking for a recipe.”
Daniel loosened his tie.
“For what?”
“Soup.”
“What kind?”
Emily’s mind went blank.
“Tomato.”
He looked toward the refrigerator.
“We don’t have tomatoes.”
“I was making a shopping list.”
Daniel watched her for another second.
Then he smiled.
“Of course.”
He began arranging the lilies in a glass vase. Emily noticed that he had chosen the vase from the highest cabinet, the one directly beneath the hidden kitchen camera.
Was he checking its position?
“Vanessa came by,” Emily said.
“I know.”
“She told me about Laura.”
Daniel’s hand stopped.
A drop of water slid from the flower stem onto the counter.
“My sister talks too much.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were engaged before?”
“Because it ended badly.”
“She disappeared.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Laura had severe mental health problems.”
“She was a doctor.”
“Doctors become ill too.”
“What happened the night she disappeared?”
Daniel placed the final flower in the vase.
“She accused me of spying on her. She became violent. She left in the middle of the night.”
“Did you report her missing?”
“Her family did.”
“Were you investigated?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“There was no evidence that I had harmed her.”
It was a carefully constructed answer.
Not a denial.
Emily heard Vanessa’s warning in her mind.
You are asking dangerous questions.
Daniel stepped closer and touched Emily’s face.
His hand was gentle.
“You are not Laura,” he said. “I chose you because you are stronger.”
Emily resisted the urge to pull away.
“What happens at the property review?”
Daniel’s thumb stopped moving.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Vanessa said I should avoid creating problems before it.”
“She was trying to protect our marriage.”
“From what?”
“From your imagination.”
Daniel’s fingers tightened around her chin.
Not enough to bruise.
Enough to warn.
“You have been living here for two months,” he said. “You have no rent, no debt, no financial pressure. I have given you everything.”
Emily stared into his eyes.
“And what do you expect in return?”
“Respect.”
His fingers released her.
That evening, Daniel introduced new rules.
Emily was no longer allowed to use the kitchen tablet without permission.
She was to inform him before inviting anyone to the house.
She was not to enter his office or the basement storage room.
She was to answer his calls immediately.
He wrote the rules on a page and placed it on the refrigerator.
At the bottom, he added one final line.
No discussions about Laura Bennett.
Emily read the page while Daniel watched.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am protecting our home.”
“You’re treating me like a prisoner.”
“No. A prisoner does not receive choices.”
The words escaped him naturally.
For a moment, Daniel seemed to realize what he had said.
Then he folded his arms.
“If you dislike the rules, you can leave.”
Emily looked toward the hallway where her suitcase had been stored after the wedding.
“You know I gave up my apartment.”
“That was your decision.”
“You asked me to.”
“I did not force you.”
Emily thought about her savings, most of which she had transferred into their joint renovation account at Daniel’s suggestion. She thought about her job, which she had reduced to part-time because Daniel said managing the house would be stressful.
He had not built a marriage around her.
He had removed her exits.
That night, Emily pretended to sleep.
At 1:43 in the morning, Daniel left the bedroom.
She waited ten minutes before following him.
The basement door stood open.
Light moved across the lower steps.
Emily descended silently.
The basement was larger than she expected. One side held wine racks and storage cabinets. The other contained a locked glass room filled with computer equipment.
Daniel sat before six monitors.
Each screen displayed a different room in the house.
The bedroom.
The kitchen.
The living room.
The upstairs hallway.
The front gate.
And Emily’s art studio.
Daniel opened a folder marked EW.
Hundreds of video files appeared.
The dates began before their wedding.
Emily covered her mouth.
One recording showed her signing papers at Vanessa’s office.
Another showed her sleeping.
A third showed her crying in the bathroom after Daniel’s first violent argument.
Daniel selected a file recorded the previous week.
Vanessa appeared on the screen.
Her voice played through the speakers.
“She is becoming suspicious.”
Daniel’s recorded voice answered.
“It doesn’t matter. We only need her signature at the final review.”
“And if she refuses?”
Daniel leaned closer to the monitor.
“Then we use the Laura solution.”
Emily stepped backward.
The wooden stair creaked beneath her foot.
Daniel stopped the recording.
May you like
He turned toward the darkness.
“Emily?”
