“Claire?”
I turned.
Alive.
Uninjured.
And terrified.
8. The Confrontation
“You’re supposed to be dead,” I whispered.
He broke down. Fell to his knees. Begged me to listen.
He hadn’t been kidnapped. He hadn’t been hurt.
He had run away.
Daniel said he’d been helping her. Living a double life. Afraid to tell me. Afraid I’d leave.
The jacket? He’d left it behind deliberately. To make it look like an accident.
The police searches. The grief. My pain.
All of it had been part of his plan.
Max had found him weeks ago.
Max had never stopped visiting.
And today, he’d finally decided I deserved the truth.
I don’t remember screaming, but my throat was raw afterward.
I don’t remember how I got home.
I remember Max sitting beside me, steady and loyal.
Daniel tried to explain. To apologize. To come back.
I didn’t let him.
The police reopened the case—for fraud, obstruction, emotional abuse.
His sister passed away two months later.
Daniel disappeared again after that.
This time, I didn’t follow.
10. What Max Taught Me
People ask if I still live near the woods.
I do.
People ask if I ever hike again.
Sometimes.
But never without Max.
Because my dog didn’t just bring back a jacket.
He brought back the truth.
And sometimes, the most shocking discoveries don’t come from following fear—
They come from following loyalty.
