The detective seemed to notice it too.

“Is that the entire conversation?” she asked.

Michael hesitated again.

“Not exactly.”

Detective Brown leaned slightly forward.

“Then please finish it.”

Michael’s voice dropped.

“She replied that she understood.”

“And?”

“And she said she would never ask me to choose.”

Sarah folded her arms tightly.

“Clearly she changed her mind.”

The detective scribbled something in her notebook.

“Mr. Johnson, did Ms. Keller ever express resentment toward Emma?”

“No.”

“Did she ever complain about your family?”

Michael shook his head.

“Never.”

Sarah stared at him.

“You’re lying.”

Michael looked at her sharply.

“I’m not.”

Sarah’s voice rose slightly.

“Then explain why she wrote that message.”

Michael opened his mouth.

But no explanation came.

Later that evening, the hospital hallway felt heavy with quiet tension.

Emma remained stable, but the doctors warned Sarah that the next forty-eight hours would be critical.

Arsenic poisoning could cause lasting organ damage.

The treatment process would be slow.

Sarah sat alone in the waiting area while Michael stepped outside to take a call.

Detective Brown approached quietly.

“May I sit?” she asked.

Sarah nodded.

The detective took the chair beside her.

For a few moments, they simply listened to the distant hum of hospital machines.

Then Sarah spoke.

“You don’t believe Anna did it.”

Detective Brown tilted her head slightly.

“What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been careful with your words.”

The detective gave a faint smile.

“You’re observant.”

Sarah sighed.

“So what aren’t you saying?”

Detective Brown studied her for a moment before answering.

“Poison cases are unusual.”

“In what way?”

“Most people who poison someone don’t do it impulsively.”

Sarah frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means poison is a deliberate choice.”

Sarah’s stomach tightened.

“You’re saying this was planned.”

“It’s very possible.”

Sarah looked down at her hands.

“But why Emma?”

“That’s what we’re trying to understand.”

The detective paused before continuing.

“There’s something else we discovered this afternoon.”

Sarah’s heart quickened.

“What?”

“Your husband recently increased Emma’s life insurance policy.”

Sarah blinked.

“What?”

Detective Brown opened the folder again.

“Two months ago, Mr. Johnson updated a policy naming himself as the sole beneficiary.”

Sarah felt the blood drain from her face.

“How much?”

“Five hundred thousand dollars.”

The number echoed inside her head.

Half a million dollars.

For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.

“That… that has to be a coincidence.”

The detective didn’t answer.

“Does Michael know about this investigation detail?” Sarah asked quietly.

“Not yet.”

Sarah’s thoughts raced wildly.

Five hundred thousand dollars.

An affair.

A mistress who thought Emma was an obstacle.

Cookies laced with arsenic.

The pieces formed a shape she didn’t want to see.

“No,” she whispered.

Detective Brown watched her carefully.

“What are you thinking?”

Sarah shook her head slowly.

“I’m thinking my husband may not be the man I thought he was.”

Outside the hospital, Michael stood in the parking lot with his phone pressed to his ear.

“Anna, listen to me,” he whispered urgently.

“I swear I didn’t tell them anything.”

On the other end of the call, Anna Keller sounded terrified.

“They came to my apartment, Michael.”

“I know.”

“They asked about Emma.”

Michael rubbed his forehead.

“You told them the truth, right?”

“Of course I did.”

There was a long pause.

Then Anna said quietly:

“They think I poisoned her.”

Michael’s stomach tightened.

“You didn’t, did you?”

The silence that followed was brief.

But long enough to make his heart pound.

“Of course not,” Anna snapped.

Michael exhaled.

“Good.”

But Anna’s voice lowered.

“Michael… there’s something else.”

“What?”

“I didn’t bake those cookies.”

Michael frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I brought cookies,” she said slowly, “but I bought them from a bakery.”

Michael’s chest tightened.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Emma said you gave them to her personally.”

“I did.”

“But I didn’t poison them.”

Michael leaned against his car.

“Then how did arsenic get in them?”

Anna’s voice trembled.

“I don’t know.”

A terrible thought suddenly crossed Michael’s mind.

“Anna… when you brought the cookies into the house… did you leave them unattended?”

She hesitated.

“Only for a few minutes.”

Michael’s pulse spiked.

“When?”

“While I was in your office helping with the presentation.”

Michael felt a cold chill run down his spine.

Because during that time…

There had been someone else in the house.

Someone who had walked through the kitchen.

Someone who could easily have touched the cookies.

Someone no one had considered.

Michael’s voice turned shaky.

“Anna… did Emma eat the cookies while you were still there?”

“No.”

“Then when?”

“I don’t know.”

Michael’s hand trembled slightly.