Chapter 5 - Arrival in Switzerland
By 8:00 a.m. local time the next day, my driver pulled up outside the entrance of the hospital in Bern.
The air was crisp, freezing, and scented with pine and snow. High above the city, the Alps loomed like jagged white teeth against the blue sky.
I walked into the private recovery wing on the third floor, dressed in an immaculate cream-colored wool coat, high-heeled boots, and dark sunglasses. I looked every bit the wealthy American author I was.
I approached the nurse's station. "I'm here to see Evan Bennett."
The receptionist checked her monitor. "Ah, Mr. Bennett. Room 312. His wife is currently resting in Room 314."
"I am his wife," I said smoothly, pulling my state ID and marriage certificate from my handbag.
The receptionist blinked, looking at the documents, then at the computer, then back at me. Her eyes widened in utter horror as she realized the massive fraud that had been committed in their ledger.
"Mon dieu..." she whispered. "The other woman... he registered her as you!"
"I know," I said softly. "Which door is his?"
"Room 312, madame. Right down the hall."
I walked down the quiet corridor, my heels clicking rhythmically against the polished floor.
I pushed the door open.
Evan was sitting in a hospital bed, a bandage wrapped around his head, sipping tea while looking at his phone. He looked slightly pale, but otherwise completely unharmed.
When the door swung open, he didn't even look up from his screen. "Madison, I told the nurse I don't want any more broth—"
"I didn't bring broth, Evan," I said softly.
Evan froze.
The phone slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the tray table. He raised his head slowly, his eyes wide with absolute, paralyzed terror.
May you like
"C-Claire?" he gasped, his breath catching in his throat. "What... what are you... how are you here?"
"It's a small world, isn't it?" I replied, stepping further into the room and closing the door behind me. "Especially when you use my titanium credit card to rent a chalet in Verbier."
