Chapter 18 - The Unbroken CodeThat night, the snow began to fall again over Montauk—a soft, peaceful dust compared to the violent blizzard that had swept through Manhattan months ago.
Alexander sat by the stone fireplace in the living room, a glass of dark scotch resting untouched on the side table, watching me flip through the photo album Victoria had given me.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly, getting up to sit beside me on the rug, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder.
"I am," I said, leaning back into his solid, comforting warmth. "It felt like closing a wound that's been bleeding for five years. Seeing his little faces in these pictures... I missed so much, Alexander, but I'm just glad he was loved, even in that cold house."
"He was loved by you before he even knew your name," Alexander murmured, pressing his lips against the soft crook of my neck. "The moment you walked into his nursery as a maid, he knew."
Suddenly, a loud THUD echoed from the porch outside, followed by the frantic barking of the puppy in the kitchen.
Alexander was on his feet in a second, his posture instantly shifting back into the hyper-vigilant protector. He reached for the heavy iron fire poker beside the hearth, stepping cautiously toward the French doors that opened out onto the snow-covered deck.
"Stay behind me, Emma," he commanded in a low growl.
"Alexander, wait," I said, picking up a heavy flashlight.
He unlocked the latch and pushed the door open. The freezing night air rushed inside, swirling snowflakes across the hardwood floor.
Lying face down in the snow on the porch steps was a young woman, shivering violently, her clothes torn and soaked through with dark, crimson blood.
Alexander knelt down immediately, turning her over carefully. "God... she's been stabbed!"
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The flashlight beam illuminated her face.
I gasped, dropping the flashlight onto the rug. "CLAIRE?!"
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