Chapter 2
Olivia couldn't breathe.
The black police file slipped from her hands.
Its contents scattered across the marble floor.
Crime scene photographs.
Witness statements.
Forensic reports.
Each page revealed another piece of a nightmare she never imagined existed.
Outside...
Rain lashed against the penthouse windows.
Inside...
Only the sound of trembling paper filled the room.
Olivia slowly picked up the first photograph.
A narrow alley.
Wet pavement reflecting flashing police lights.
Yellow crime-scene tape.
A silver engagement ring lying in a rain puddle.
She recognized it instantly.
Two weeks before Daniel disappeared...
He had texted her.
"I finally found the perfect ring."
She had laughed.
"You haven't even proposed yet."
Daniel replied,
"Just wait."
She never heard from him again.
A tear landed on the photograph.
Olivia quickly turned to the next page.
Evidence Log #14
One men's engagement ring recovered at the scene.
Unclaimed.
Still sealed in evidence.
Her chest tightened.
Daniel had been carrying the ring.
He hadn't abandoned her.
He had been on his way to build a future with her.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Victor stood in the doorway once more.
He had come back.
His face was pale.
"Olivia..."
She didn't even look at him.
She continued reading.
Another document.
Another shock.
At the bottom of the investigation summary...
One sentence had been highlighted in yellow.
Victim never collected the agreed payment of $500,000.
Olivia's hands froze.
She read it again.
And again.
Daniel had never accepted the money.
Slowly...
She turned the page.
The final line of the report was worse.
Estimated time of death: Approximately two hours before the scheduled meeting regarding financial settlement.
Olivia felt as if the air had been ripped from her lungs.
Two hours before.
He died...
Before he could even meet Victor.
Before he could refuse.
Before he could choose.
She slowly looked up.
Victor remained silent.
His silence frightened her more than any denial.
"You lied."
she whispered.
"You told me he sold me for money."
Victor lowered his eyes.
"I..."
"You let me hate him."
Tears streamed down her face.
"For ten years..."
"I believed the man I loved abandoned me."
Victor took one cautious step forward.
"I didn't write that report."
Olivia's voice hardened.
"But you hid it."
He couldn't answer.
Her eyes fell upon another photograph.
This one showed security camera footage.
A luxury black sedan stopped beside the alley.
The timestamp...
8:11 p.m.
She recognized the car.
Victor's car.
A memory suddenly crashed into her mind.
Ten years ago.
Daniel had called her that afternoon.
His voice had sounded excited.
"Someone wants to meet me tonight."
"He says it's about our future."
She had smiled.
"Good news?"
Daniel laughed.
"Maybe."
"I'll tell you after."
There had never been an "after."
Olivia looked back at Victor.
"Did you arrange that meeting?"
Victor slowly nodded.
"Yes."
She waited.
"So?"
His lips trembled.
"I wanted to talk."
"That's all?"
"I wanted him to leave."
"And when he refused?"
Victor immediately looked at her.
"I never said he refused."
Olivia stepped backward.
"You didn't have to."
"The police report did."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Unbearable.
Victor whispered,
"I never touched him."
Olivia searched his face.
She wanted to believe him.
She desperately wanted to.
Then...
A folded document slipped from the back of the file.
It had been hidden between the pages.
Unlike the others...
It wasn't part of the police investigation.
It was a private investigator's report.
Across the first page...
Three words were typed in bold.
CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT REPORT
Client:
Victor Hale
Olivia's heartbeat quickened.
She opened it.
The report described weeks of surveillance on Daniel.
His daily routine.
His apartment.
His workplace.
His plans to propose.
Every detail...
Had been documented.
The final page contained a handwritten note.
Not from the investigator.
From Victor himself.
"If he won't disappear willingly... make sure he never comes back."
Olivia's entire body went numb.
She slowly lifted her eyes toward her husband.
Victor stared at the note.
His face lost every trace of color.
He whispered only one sentence.
"...I never wrote that."
At that exact moment...
Someone knocked on the penthouse door.
Three slow knocks.
When Olivia opened it...
An elderly man in a rain-soaked coat stood outside.
He held up an old detective's badge.
May you like
Then quietly asked:
"Mrs. Hale... has your husband ever told you how the Daniel Carter case was really closed?"
