Then, late one night, someone knocked at the door.
Claire froze.
Julien opened it to find Luc — older now, but intense. His eyes narrowed when he saw Julien.
— “Marc?” he whispered, stepping back.
Julien didn’t correct him. Instead, he stepped forward.
— “Yes. I’m back. And you’ve got some explaining to do.”
Luc’s face turned ghostly white. He stammered, backing away. Julien, recording with his phone, pushed further.
— “Tell me what really happened that night.”
Luc, overwhelmed and panicked, confessed. He had pushed Marc after a fight by the riverbank — it wasn’t planned, but it was real. When Marc didn’t surface, Luc fled. And afterward, he tried to fill the void — by controlling Claire.
Julien handed the recording to the police. Combined with statements from fishermen and phone records, Luc was convicted and sentenced to twelve years in prison.
With Luc behind bars, Claire was finally free.
Julien helped her reopen the garage Marc once owned. They worked side by side, raising baby Léo and healing together. Slowly, what had started as shared grief turned into something deeper — a bond forged by fate.
