Chapter 1

Vanessa and I had been engaged for two years.

Every relative in both our families said the same thing about her, gentle, intelligent, and able to carry herself well. She was the perfect woman to marry.

Still, at that moment, cold crept into my fingertips.

I tightened my grip on my phone and asked her, “What documents are so urgent that I have to come over right now?”

Vanessa replied in a soft voice, “It’s the family information form you need for your background check. I changed a couple of things in the wording, so it’d be better if you came and picked it up yourself. And don’t take the subway. It’ll be packed during rush hour. Just drive over. It’ll be easier.”

The comments had just warned me not to touch my car. Now she urged me to drive it.

The coincidence felt deliberate, like someone had laid a noose at my feet and smiled as they told me to take another step.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 5:27 p.m., and it was less than two hours until the time mentioned in the comments.

I forced my heartbeat down and kept my voice steady. “My stomach’s been bothering me. I don’t really feel like driving.”

There was a brief silence on the other end. “Your stomach? Then I can come pick you up.”

“No, that’s okay.”

I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

“I’ll just go to a nearby hospital and get some medicine. We can deal with the paperwork tomorrow.”

Vanessa’s voice remained gentle. “Zach, they’re checking your documents tomorrow. Don’t push yourself like this. You’ve worked so hard to get this far. Don’t let something go wrong at the very last step.”

I replied, “That’s exactly why I cannot afford to make a mistake now.”

Then I hung up the call. The elevator took me down to the underground parking garage.

My white SUV sat in its usual spot. The license plate, the rims, the sticker on the rear window, and the old scratch on the rear passenger-side door were all exactly the same as when I left that morning.

I started recording on my phone. I filmed from the front of the car to the back, then walked around it once. I made sure to capture the license plate, mileage, fuel level, the time displayed on the dashboard, the parking-space number, and the old scratch on the passenger side.

Then I called the property manager.

“Zach, I think someone might have stolen my license plate information and used it. Could you come down to the basement and confirm that my car is here? And could you leave a message in the residents’ group confirming it?”

When Zach arrived, he thought I had fallen for some kind of phone scam. “Mr. Xander, why do you suddenly look so serious?”

I did not explain everything.

“Could you state the time, location, license plate, and parking-space number on camera?”

Seeing that something was wrong, Zach stopped asking questions and did as I requested.

I uploaded the video to a legal evidence-preservation platform and generated a timestamp. Then I asked the property management office to install a temporary wheel lock in front of my parking space.

Zach furrowed his brows. “That needs to be registered, and you’ll have to sign a temporary installation form.”

“Register it. I’ll sign. I’ll cover the cost.”

Five minutes later, the wheel lock was secured in place.

I put both my car keys and spare key into a clear evidence bag and took a cab to the nearest notary office.

Fortunately, they still had a duty clerk on-site until six.

I explained the situation. They sealed the items, photographed everything for their records, and issued me a receipt confirming they had accepted the evidence.

At 6:08 p.m., I left the notary office.

I did not go to see Vanessa. I went into the subway station instead.

My transit card records, the station’s surveillance footage, and my phone’s location history would all prove that I had been there.

When it was 6:39 p.m., someone screamed from the platform.

An elderly man in a gray jacket collapsed beside the escalator. His face was pale, and his forehead was slick with cold sweat.

I rushed over and dropped to one knee beside him.

“Sir, can you hear me?”

His eyes were unfocused, and his lips trembled.

Someone nearby shouted, “Is he having a stroke?”

I noticed a box of diabetes medication sticking out of his coat pocket. I checked his pulse, then turned to the station staff.

“He might be having a hypoglycemic episode. Call 911. Get him some sugar water or a glucose gel. Don’t force anything down his throat. He could choke.”

The subway staff brought over a first-aid kit. I helped the old man onto his side to keep him from aspirating and gave him some sugar.

Ten minutes later, the paramedics arrived. Once the old man regained some awareness, he grabbed my wrist.

“What’s your name, son?”

“Reid Xander.”

He stared at me for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll remember that.”

A traffic camera on the West Ring Road service lane captured a white SUV speeding through a crosswalk at 7:20 p.m.

An elderly woman carrying a bag of medicine was struck and sent flying.