CHAPTER 2 The Man Who Knew the Coffin Was Empty
CHAPTER 2 The Man Who Knew the Coffin Was Empty
Theodore Vale did not move.
For several seconds, he simply stared at Sebastian standing in the hospital doorway.
The same man who had arranged Rosalie’s funeral.
The same man who had told everyone she was gone.
The same man who had looked into Theodore’s eyes and asked him to accept her death.
Now he was claiming he had almost been killed too.
Theodore stepped closer to the bed.
“Get out.”
Sebastian’s expression hardened.
“Theodore—”
“I said get out.”
Rosalie’s fingers moved weakly beneath the blanket.
Theodore immediately turned back toward her.
She looked terrified.
Not of Sebastian.
Of what Sebastian had just said.
Theodore noticed.
And that scared him more.
“Rosalie?”
Her eyes moved between the two brothers.
She tried to speak.
But only a faint breath came out.
Sebastian lowered his voice.
“She needs rest.”
Theodore looked at him coldly.
“You don’t get to decide what she needs.”
For a moment, Sebastian said nothing.
Then he nodded.
“You’re right.”
That answer surprised Theodore.
Sebastian had never admitted being wrong.
Not once.
“I’ll leave,” Sebastian said.
“But before I do…”
He reached into his coat pocket.
Theodore immediately stepped forward.
“What are you doing?”
Sebastian slowly removed a small folded piece of paper.
“I found this in my office.”
He placed it on the table.
Theodore did not touch it.
“What is it?”
Sebastian looked at Rosalie.
“A warning.”
Theodore stared at the paper.
“From who?”
Sebastian’s face became serious.
“I don’t know.”
Theodore looked at him suspiciously.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
Sebastian walked toward the door.
“I expect you to believe what your own eyes showed you.”
He stopped.
“Someone wanted Rosalie dead.”
Then he left.
Five minutes passed before Theodore touched the paper.
He unfolded it carefully.
Inside were only six words.
THE PAST WILL BURY YOU.
Nothing else.
No signature.
No explanation.
Just a threat.
Theodore felt a chill move through him.
Because the handwriting looked familiar.
Not Rosalie’s.
Someone else’s.
Someone he had seen before.
He looked toward his sister.
“Rosalie…”
Her eyes opened slightly.
“Theo?”
“I need you to tell me something.”
She looked exhausted.
But she nodded.
“Before the funeral…”
Theodore paused.
“Did something happen?”
Rosalie closed her eyes.
A tear slowly moved down her cheek.
“Yes.”
Theodore leaned closer.
“What?”
She struggled to speak.
“I found something.”
“What did you find?”
Rosalie’s breathing became faster.
“Father’s…”
She stopped.
Theodore froze.
Their father had been dead for eight years.
The Vale family rarely spoke about him.
Not because they missed him.
Because they feared what his death had left behind.
“What about Father?”
Rosalie looked at him.
“His secret.”
Across the city, Dr. Adrian Mercer sat alone in his car.
The windshield was covered with rain.
His hands shook as he stared at the hospital entrance.
He knew he should leave.
He knew he should call the police.
But fear kept him frozen.
Because he remembered exactly what happened the night Rosalie Vale was declared dead.
And he knew his mistake had not been an accident.
His phone rang.
The unknown number appeared again.
He stared at it.
The same number that had called him three times that week.
Finally, he answered.
“Hello?”
A quiet voice responded.
“You failed.”
Mercer swallowed.
“She survived.”
“That was not supposed to happen.”
“I followed the instructions.”
A pause.
Then the voice became colder.
“You were supposed to make sure she never woke up.”
Mercer closed his eyes.
“I can fix this.”
“No.”
The voice replied.
“You already had your chance.”
The call ended.
Mercer looked at his reflection in the dark window.
For the first time, he realized something.
He was not being threatened.
He was being eliminated.
The next morning, the news exploded.
Every major media outlet had the same story.
VALE FAMILY FUNERAL SHOCK: WOMAN FOUND ALIVE INSIDE COFFIN.
Reporters surrounded the estate.
Cameras flashed nonstop.
The powerful Vale family was no longer controlling the story.
The world was asking questions.
Who declared Rosalie dead?
Why was she buried?
And who tried to hide the truth?
Inside the mansion, Sebastian watched the television silently.
Eleanor entered.
“You need to handle this.”
Sebastian didn’t look away.
“Handle what?”
“The investigation.”
“The investigation should happen.”
Eleanor’s expression changed.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
She stepped closer.
“You understand what happens if they investigate the family?”
Sebastian finally turned.
“Yes.”
His voice was cold.
“They find whoever did this.”
Eleanor stared at him.
“You’re willing to destroy everything?”
Sebastian looked toward the television screen showing Rosalie’s picture.
“Everything was already destroyed the moment they put my sister in that coffin.”
That afternoon, Theodore returned to the Vale estate.
He walked into Rosalie’s bedroom.
Nothing had changed.
Her books remained on the shelves.
Her paintings still hung on the walls.
Her perfume bottle sat beside the mirror.
But something felt wrong.
Someone had searched the room.
Theodore noticed immediately.
The drawers were slightly open.
The carpet near the desk was disturbed.
He walked toward the bookshelf.
One book was facing the wrong direction.
He pulled it out.
Behind it was a small hidden compartment.
Inside was an old photograph.
A photograph of his father.
But that was not what shocked Theodore.
Standing beside his father was a woman Theodore had never seen before.
And behind the photograph was a handwritten message.
His sister’s handwriting.
THEO, IF YOU FIND THIS, IT MEANS THEY FAILED TO STOP ME.
His hands started shaking.
He turned the paper over.
The next sentence made his blood run cold.
THE PERSON WHO TRIED TO KILL ME IS SOMEONE YOU TRUST.
At that exact moment…
The bedroom door closed behind him.
Theodore turned around.
Nobody was there.
But a voice came from the darkness.
“You should have left the past buried.”
Theodore froze.
Because he knew that voice.
May you like
And he never expected to hear it again.
TO BE CONTINUED…
