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I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

“Let’s now go live to Governor Johnson.”

Garrett steps up to a bank of microphones, reporters crowding around him. He swipes a finger beneath his eye before pinching the bridge of his nose.

He’s really putting on a show for them.

“I’m here today not as a governor, but as a grieving husband.” He pauses, swallowing hard before lifting his head. “With a heavy heart, I must share that my beloved wife of three years, Charlotte Johnson, drowned last night after falling overboard while we were entertaining friends not far from our home. Unfortunately, with the winds as strong as they were…” He clears his throat, wiping his eyes.

“That poor girl,” a woman nearby whispers, covering her mouth. “She was so young.”

“The coast guard gave a valiant search for her, but…” Garrett brings a fist up to his mouth, looking distressed. “The only thing they were able to recover was her ring.”

His fingers uncurl, revealing my gold wedding band. Air leaves my lungs as a wave of dizziness crashes over me. I reach out and clutch my fingers around a shelf, steadying myself. There’s no way they found it. It’s impossible. I shake my head in disbelief. The current would’ve dragged it away. It would’ve sunk to the bottom or washed miles down the coast. Maybe it’s a fake. That’s it. It has to be a—

“Although I’ve accepted my wife’s fate.” He looks at the camera with a cold, calculated grin. “I will search for her until the day I die.” He knows. Blood drains from my face, my knees weakening by the second. “I’ll be taking time away to hold a memorial service for my beloved Charlotte in New York within the next couple of days, so her life can be celebrated among our friends and family. I only ask that you respect my privacy at this time as I navigate this long and arduous journey known as grief. Thank you.”

He gives a small wave to the crowd and steps off the stage as reporters call out their questions over one another.

“Why were you boating in such bad weather?”

“Who else was on board?”

“How long did they search for her before calling it?”

Their voices fade as my mind blurs, replaying every word he spoke.

He knows I’m alive.

Or maybe I’m just overthinking everything?

So what if he found my ring?

It doesn’t prove I took it off myself.

It doesn’t mean—

“Charlotte?”

I automatically turn to face Maureen, and the second our eyes meet, I realize my mistake. I pinch my eyes shut, inhaling deeply. When I open them, they’re covered in a mist of tears, blurring my vision.

She studies me, something unreadable flickering across her eyes. “So it is you.”

I blink away the tears, my brows cinching together. “I can explain—”

“No need.” She reaches into her basket and pulls out a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. “Take these. You’re going to need them.”

My eyes flick to the items in her hand, my bottom lip quivering at the gesture as I remain still, unable to take them from her.

Lowering her voice, she says, “You’re a very recognizable young woman, and we’ve still got plenty more miles together on this journey to keep you hidden.” She rests her hand on my shoulder, her gentle touch taking me by surprise, but also unexpectedly calming me. “I see the fear in your eyes, and I know why it’s there.”

A few tears slip free. “H-he’ll find me. He always does.”

“He won’t.”

Her words send a tiny flutter of solace to my racing heart.

I shake my head. “You don’t understand. This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to run away.” My gaze drifts up to the television. “But it is the first time that… That I…”