Chapter 13

Julian felt his blood run cold, and his ears buzzed. "Could the test be wrong? That recording… How could it be authentic?" he asked. "Julian, we ran the voice analysis three times. It's a match. There's no mistake," his friend replied. The words hit Julian like a blow to the chest. He staggered backward and nearly collapsed to the floor. For three years, he'd despised Wendy. He was convinced that she was cruel and heartless, and he'd even blamed her for causing Bianca's miscarriage. Now, he realized he'd been wrong about everything. He'd hated the wrong person and had sought revenge against the wrong target. The whole thing had been an elaborate performance that Bianca had staged herself. Julian's entire body trembled uncontrollably. He shoved the door open, leaped into his car, and sped off toward the Locke residence. When he kicked open the door, Bianca was curled up on the couch with a face mask on. Julian crossed the room in two strides, grabbing Bianca by the throat with