Chapter 4 - The Winter Storm
Michael knew Sophia was lying. The sheer terror in her five-year-old eyes when she looked at her mother told him everything he needed to know.
But Michael needed proof before he tore his brother’s life apart.
"I'll be right back," Michael said smoothly. "I forgot her Christmas present in my car."
He didn't wait for Marcus to answer. Michael walked out of the grand dining room, down the long, luxurious hallway, and out the heavy oak front doors of the estate.
The freezing winter wind hit him instantly.
Michael didn't go to his car. He walked directly to the massive, detached three-car garage. He punched in the keypad code he remembered from last Thanksgiving and stepped inside.
He walked past Marcus’s Porsche and Elisa’s Range Rover. Tucked in the corner was Sophia’s little pink bicycle.
Michael crouched down and inspected it.
The tires were completely clean. There were no scratches on the handlebars, no scuff marks on the pedals, and no dirt on the training wheels. In fact, there was a thick layer of undisturbed dust coating the entire frame.
The bicycle hadn't been ridden in months.
And more importantly, it had been snowing heavily in Chicago for the last five days. There was a foot of snow covering the entire driveway. A five-year-old girl couldn't possibly ride a bicycle in those conditions.
The parents had fabricated the entire story.
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