Chapter 9: DANIEL’S NEW GAME

The rain had finally let up by the time I left the café with Sam. The air was cool and crisp, a brief respite from the oppressive weight that had been hanging over me. Sam had retreated into his own world of guilt and regret, leaving me alone with my turbulent thoughts. I needed to focus, to get a grip on the situation, but the anonymous email still burned in my mind. It was clear that something far deeper and more sinister was at play.

When I arrived at the office the next morning, my phone buzzed with a new notification. It was from an unknown number, the message short and to the point: *"Meet me at The Hudson tonight. 7 PM. Daniel Blackwood."* The message was unmistakably clear—Daniel wanted to see me.

A knot tightened in my stomach. I hadn’t seen Daniel since the divorce proceedings, and the thought of facing him again, especially after everything that had happened, was unsettling. But I knew I couldn’t ignore it. I needed to figure out what Daniel was up to and if he was somehow