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I chuckle darkly. “Oh, wait. Now that you mention it, it does sound exactly like something I would do.”

“You listen here—”

“No, you listen to me.” I lean forward, my heart drumming at a maddening pace. “If you think I’ve made you suffer for everything you’ve ever done to Charlotte, well, you’ll soon learn exactly who you’re messing with. Because I haven’t even come close to inflicting pain upon you.” I raise my finger over the red button. “Piece of advice: sleep with one eye open, you piece of shit, because your days are numbered.”

I end the call before he has a chance to say another useless word. My heart is beating too fast, my breaths growing shallow. Every bone in my body is itching to get out of here and shoot him between the eyes. To tie him up and throw him into our lake.

But not yet.

I have to be patient for the right moment to strike.

I drag a hand down my face and breathe in deeply over and over again until my heart rate feels at an acceptable level. I turn my attention to the folder and lean forward to open it, scanning every document for accuracy.

Alice Smith.

My gaze lingers on the name, which doesn’t suit Charlotte one bit.

Then again…neither does Johnson.

Something I wish I could immediately replace with my last name…

But Alice Smith is a forgettable name for an ordinary woman. Exactly what she needs if she wants to disappear.

Everything is here, ready for me to hand it over and let Charlotte be on her way to a new life. To freedom.

But that thought has my chest tightening uncomfortably. I drag my knuckles across it, trying to soothe the ache building inside me, but it only grows bigger. The pressure isn’t easing; it’s sharpening, like my body already knows what my mind refuses to admit.

I close the folder and lean back in my chair.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I remove my glasses long enough to rub my eyes before sliding them back into place.

I’ve spent my entire life solving problems.

Creating identities.

Breaking encryption.

Building systems no one else can crack.

Hacking into government systems.

Every problem can be solved.

Except this one.

How am I supposed to let her leave?

To simply walk out of my life as if she didn’t turn my whole fucking world upside down.

My eyes catch the vibrant impatiens in the corner of my office, the ones that have survived their entire life in the darkness, and the answer comes to me.

When the time comes, I’ll put this folder in her hands.

I’ll tell her goodbye, and I’ll watch as the only woman who has made my heart beat walks out of my life.

Because loving someone isn’t keeping them like a caged bird; it’s giving them their freedom to live.