Chapter 7: The Wife Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Chapter 7: The Wife Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The rain poured harder.
It covered the streets like a curtain.
Dominic remained frozen inside the SUV.
The picture on his phone stared back at him.
Victoria.
His Victoria.
The woman he buried twelve years ago.
The woman he had mourned every single day.
The woman he believed he had failed.
His driver looked into the rearview mirror.
"Boss?"
Dominic didn't respond.
He was somewhere else.
Back in that night.
Back to the moment his entire world collapsed.
The explosion.
The screaming.
The burning car.
Victoria's hand slipping away from his.
At least...
That was what he remembered.
But memories could be manipulated.
People could lie.
Even about death.
Dominic slowly locked the phone screen.
"Turn around."
The driver looked confused.
"Where?"
"Back to the estate."
"But the meeting—"
Dominic's voice became cold.
"The meeting changed."
The SUV turned sharply.
Twenty minutes later...
Dominic walked into the security room.
Everyone immediately stood.
Daniel noticed his expression.
Something was different.
"What happened?"
Dominic placed the phone on the table.
The picture appeared.
Nobody spoke.
Marcus stepped closer.
His face changed.
"That's..."
"Victoria."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"It can't be."
Dominic looked at him.
"That's what they wanted us to believe."
Daniel stared at the screen.
For years, Daniel had watched Dominic become colder after Victoria's death.
He had watched him stop trusting people.
Stop loving people.
Stop living.
Now the impossible had appeared.
"Who sent this?"
Dominic looked at the unknown number.
"I don't know."
"But they wanted me to see it."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"Maybe it's fake."
Dominic looked at him.
"Maybe."
"But whoever created it knows exactly what Victoria looked like."
Daniel studied the image.
"Can we trace it?"
"Already trying."
Olivia entered the room carrying a laptop.
"I heard about the photo."
Dominic looked at her.
"Can you find the source?"
She sat down quickly.
"I'll try."
The room became silent except for the sound of typing.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Finally, Olivia stopped.
"That's impossible."
Dominic walked closer.
"What?"
"The image wasn't sent from a phone."
"Then where?"
She looked at the screen.
"It came from inside the estate."
Everyone froze.
"What do you mean?"
Olivia swallowed.
"The signal originated from one of the old underground communication lines."
Daniel frowned.
"The tunnels?"
She nodded.
"The same tunnels connected to the cellar."
Dominic's eyes darkened.
Someone had been beneath his house.
Watching.
Planning.
Waiting.
For years.
Meanwhile...
Claire opened her eyes.
The first thing she felt was pain.
Her wrists burned.
Her head throbbed.
She tried to move.
The rope around her chair tightened.
She looked around.
A dark warehouse.
Broken windows.
Old machinery.
No signs of escape.
Then she heard footsteps.
Slow.
Calm.
Confident.
A man stepped from the shadows.
The black raven mask covered his face.
Claire immediately started shaking.
"Please."
"Listen to me."
The man tilted his head.
"You said that to Mia too?"
Claire's face went pale.
"I made a mistake."
"Everyone makes mistakes."
The man walked around her.
"But betrayal is different."
Claire swallowed.
"You don't understand."
"I didn't want this."
The masked man stopped.
"You wanted Dominic's money."
"You wanted his name."
"You wanted everything Victoria had."
Claire looked away.
The man leaned closer.
"You even wanted her husband."
Claire's breathing became uneven.
"What do you want from me?"
The man removed the mask.
Claire gasped.
Because she knew him.
Everyone did.
But nobody knew the truth.
"Hello, Claire."
Her eyes widened.
"No..."
"It can't be."
The man smiled.
"That's what Dominic said about Victoria."
Back at the estate...
Dominic stood alone in the hallway outside his old bedroom.
The room had remained untouched for twelve years.
Victoria's books were still on the shelf.
Her favorite chair was still near the window.
Her perfume bottle was still on the dresser.
He had never admitted why he kept everything.
Because some part of him always felt she wasn't truly gone.
His phone vibrated again.
Another message.
COME TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU LOST HER.
A location appeared.
The old Vale mansion.
The property where Victoria died.
Dominic stared at the address.
Daniel entered the hallway.
"You shouldn't go."
Dominic looked at him.
"I have to."
"Why?"
Because for twelve years, he had been running from that night.
Now the night was calling him back.
Dominic picked up his coat.
"Because if Victoria is alive..."
"...then someone has been controlling my entire life."
Daniel lowered his voice.
"And if she's not?"
Dominic stopped.
For a moment...
The strongest man in the room looked afraid.
Then he answered:
"Then I finally learn the truth."
An hour later...
The abandoned Vale mansion stood in the rain.
The place was exactly as Dominic remembered.
Broken windows.
Burned walls.
Silent halls.
The place where his old life ended.
He entered alone.
A single candle burned in the center of the room.
Beside it was an old photograph.
Dominic picked it up.
It was a picture of him and Victoria on their wedding day.
But someone had written a message across the back.
YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR WIFE.
A voice came from the darkness.
"You never knew any of us."
Dominic turned.
A woman stepped forward.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
Victoria.
His entire world stopped.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Dominic..."
"I waited twelve years for you to find me."
He couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
Then she whispered the words that destroyed everything he believed.
"Nathan didn't kill me."
"He saved me."
May you like
A pause.
"And he was the one who tried to kill you."
