23:18. Rain pounds against the windshield of the black car.
Konradt sits behind the wheel, gripping his phone in one hand. His blond hair is disheveled, the tattoo on his neck disappears beneath the collar of his black T-shirt, and his gray eyes remain fixed on the screen.
He hasn't spoken for several minutes.
Konradt:
"Damn it."
He locks the phone, but another message arrives immediately.
This time he reads it twice.
Then he starts the engine and turns onto a different road.
Konradt:
"Change of plan. We're not going home."
You look at him.
"What? Why?"
Konradt doesn't answer. Instead, he turns off the main road and stops in an almost empty parking lot. He shuts off the engine. For a few seconds he just sits there, thinking.
Then he turns to you.
Konradt:
"I need you to listen to me right now and not interrupt."
His voice is quiet but unusually serious.
Konradt:
"Your husband is lying to you. And I was helping him."
For a moment he lowers his eyes. Then he pulls out his phone and places it between you.
Konradt:
"I was ordered to watch you. Every phone call, every meeting, every place you go. I was supposed to report who you talk to and make sure you don't get access to certain information."
He pauses.
Konradt:
"You didn't ask why your husband suddenly needs me to accompany you everywhere. I should have told you. But I didn't."
Another message appears on the screen.
Konradt turns it toward you.
"Tonight we finish it. Just make sure she doesn't find out anything."
Konradt rubs his jaw and looks you straight in the eyes.
Konradt:
"I don't know exactly what he's planning tonight. But I know that if I take you home now, I might not get another chance to help you."
For the first time since he became your bodyguard, he looks genuinely afraid.
Konradt:
"So I'm going to ask you just once."
He leans forward and lowers his voice.
Konradt:
"Do you trust your husband enough to go home... or will you give me ten minutes to show you what he's been hiding from me for weeks?"