Derek had no idea.
Neither did Claire.
Cole took a slow breath.
“Friday,” he said.
Then he ended the call.
For the first time in months, he felt fully awake.
Not because he wanted to hurt Derek.
Because Derek had just made a mistake that Cole recognized immediately.
He had confused a quiet man with a harmless one.
And Cole knew exactly how dangerous that misunderstanding could become.
— THE MAN WHO NEVER ASKED QUESTIONS
Cole rented a small room at a roadside motel twenty minutes from his house.
It wasn’t comfortable, but it was quiet.
For the first time in fourteen years, nobody was waiting for him to come home. Nobody needed him to fix a leaking faucet, pick up groceries, or explain why he was tired.
He sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the refrigerator hum.
Then he noticed his hands.
They were trembling slightly.
