Page 89 of The Substitute Fiancée

“No. He made sure to keep his arm in front of it. I only saw his chin. And… he was wearing a black hoodie.”

He opens his file and shows me several photos.

“We were able to access the surveillance cameras for the block. I extracted a few stills. Can you tell me if you recognize any of them?”

I look through the photos. Men, all captured in profile or three-quarter view. Then I stop at one.

“That one,” I say, pointing. “The shape of the chin, the build. That’s him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He writes something down.

“Thank you. I’ll launch a full search immediately.”

He stands and closes the file.

“I’m surprised by how quickly this is moving,” I remark. “It’s only been a few hours, and you already have his image. Is that normal for a simple burglary?”

“This isn’t just a theft case,” he replies. “You could have died in that stairwell, and we take that very seriously.”

He pauses, letting that sink in.

“What I’m about to tell you needs to stay between us. Your address wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Someone I care deeply about lives here and is currently in the south of France. When I saw the file, I asked to handle it personally.”

I look at him, surprised. Then it clicks.

“Don’t tell me you’re her secret boyfriend, the one she’s been seeing for months.”

“Then I won’t tell you,” he replies with a playful smile.

Despite everything, I can’t help but smile. Mara. Sneaky as ever.

“I promise you we’ll find whoever did this. And whoever attacked you.”

“Thank you.”

After he leaves, exhaustion washes over me. I fall asleep again, slipping into a restless sleep filled with nightmares.

*

It’s night when I open my eyes again. The room is dim, lit only by a small nightlight.

The events of the day come rushing back in waves. The trashed apartment. My destroyed canvases. The fall. The pain.

My God, how am I going to manage?

My graduation project. Months of work. Ruined.

And Alexander, who never answered my calls.

Part of me still tries to defend him. He had an important meeting. He couldn’t have known.

I reach for my phone. When I press the power button, nothing happens. Dead battery.

Perfect. Even my phone has abandoned me.