The woman didn't wait for an invitation.
The moment I opened the door, she stepped forward as if she had already decided I would let her in.
"I was an alibi," she said, her voice trembling. "I was there."
The words didn't make sense at first. They hovered between us, sharp and confusing, like glass in the air.
"I don't understand," I said slowly. "What do you mean?"
Her eyes were red. Swollen. She looked like someone who hadn't slept, someone who had already rehearsed this moment a hundred times and still wasn't ready.
"Please," she whispered. "Can I come inside?"
I moved aside.
She sat on the edge of the couch, twisting her fingers together so tightly her knuckles turned white. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then her shoulders began to shake.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I never meant for this to happen. I didn't know someone would die. I swear I didn't."
My heart pounded.
"Start talking," I said.
She took a shaky breath. "I was with your husband. That night."
The room tilted.
"I was the reason he was there," she continued quickly, words tumbling out like she was afraid silence would kill her. "I seduced him. It wasn't planned. It wasn't ongoing. It was just… that night."
I waited for the pain.
It didn't come immediately.
Instead, there was a strange calm. A hollow quiet inside my chest, as if some part of me had already known.
"We were at the back of the estate," she said. "Near where Susan was found."
My fingers dug into my palm.
"So you saw her?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No. We didn't see anyone. We heard a voice, though. A woman's voice. Talking. But we didn't pay attention. We were… distracted."
The word burned.
"You're saying my husband was there," I said slowly, "but not to kill anyone."
"Yes," she cried. "He didn't touch her. He didn't even know she was there."
I closed my eyes.
I could see Damien's face now, his silence, his refusal to explain, the way he hadn't looked at me when they put the cuffs on him.
I understood.
I hated that I understood.
"Can you testify?" I asked quietly. "Can you tell the police this?"
"Yes," she said immediately. "I will. I promise."
She stood up, wiping her tears. "I just need to go home and get something. Messages. Proof. I'll come to the station tomorrow."
Tomorrow.
I nodded.
When the door closed behind her, the house felt colder.
The next morning, the police station smelled like metal and stale air.
Detective Linda listened in silence as I spoke. I didn't look at her while I confessed.
"He had an affair," I said. "One night. She was with him at the scene."
Linda's expression didn't change.
"If she appears and proves this," she said, "your husband walks."
Relief bloomed in my chest.
"She's coming," I said. "She'll be here today."
An hour passed.
Then two.
Then three.
"She's not picking up," I said, panic creeping into my voice.
Linda was watching me closely now.
My phone rang.
A man's voice answered when I picked up.
"Is this Jade White?" he asked.
"Yes."
"This number belongs to a woman who was rushed into the emergency room," he said. "She was stabbed multiple times."
My knees gave way.
"You were the last person she contacted," he continued. "We thought you should know."
The world went quiet.
Linda grabbed my arm as I swayed. "Which hospital?"
She was already dead when we arrived.
I stood there, staring at the still body beneath the white sheet, my chest tearing open.
Another witness gone.
Another truth buried.
Linda exhaled slowly beside me. I could see it in her eyes, fear, frustration, something close to resignation.
"This estate," she said quietly, "is not like normal places."
I nodded.
I already knew.
When I sat across from Damien later that evening, the glass between us felt thicker than before.
"She's dead," I said.
His face crumpled.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you."
I stared at him, tears blurring my vision.
"I don't care about us right now," I said. "I care about the fact that someone is killing people."
He nodded.
"I'll clear your name," I said. "And then we leave."
As I walked out, one truth followed me like a shadow,
Dynamic Estate wasn't just dangerous.
It was hungry.
And it had noticed me.