Chapter 2: The Secret She Buried
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
By then, Isabella had transformed.
That was the part that terrified me most.
She didn't look guilty.
She looked wounded.
She sat on the white leather sofa in our living room with a blanket around her shoulders, tears running down her face.
Anyone walking in would have believed her.
Anyone except me.
"Mr. Carter," the officer said, "your fiancée claims this was an accident.""
I looked at Isabella.
She lowered her eyes.
A perfect performance.
"Isabella," I said, "tell him what happened.""
Her lips trembled.
"Nathaniel, I already explained.""
"Explain again.""
She looked at the officer.
"Your mother and I were talking. She became upset. She stepped backward and lost her balance.""
My mother sat beside me.
Silent.
Broken.
I stared at Isabella.
"You expect me to believe she fell into a locked jacuzzi while you were standing over her?""
The officer looked between us.
"Was the terrace door locked?""
I answered before Isabella could.
"No.""
His expression changed slightly.
Because he understood.
A fall was possible.
But someone had to be close.
Someone had to watch.
Someone had to decide not to help.
After the police left, the apartment became painfully quiet.
The city outside continued shining.
People laughed in restaurants.
Cars moved through streets.
Thousands of strangers lived normal lives while mine had split apart in a single evening.
My mother sat at the kitchen table wrapped in a blanket.
I made her tea the way I had when I was a child.
Two teaspoons of honey.
A little cinnamon.
She watched me carefully.
"Nathaniel.""
I turned.
"Yeah?""
"Don't ask me to forgive her.""
The words surprised me.
My mother had always been gentle.
She forgave everyone.
Even people who didn't deserve it.
"Mom—"
"No.""
Her voice was quiet.
"But you need to know something.""
I sat across from her.
"What?""
She looked toward the terrace.
"Isabella has been trying to remove me for months.""
My stomach tightened.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
She looked down.
"Because you loved her.""
The answer hurt more than I expected.
"You should have told me.""
"I tried.""
My chest tightened.
"What do you mean?""
My mother opened a drawer beside her.
She pulled out a small notebook.
The cover was worn.
"I wrote everything down.""
I stared at it.
"Why?""
"Because I knew nobody would believe me.""
She placed it on the table.
Inside were dates.
Times.
Descriptions.
Every strange thing that happened.
A missing necklace.
A changed medication bottle.
A conversation where Isabella suggested Evelyn was becoming forgetful.
My hands shook as I turned the pages.
Then I saw the last entry.
Three days earlier.
*Isabella asked me to sign papers giving Nathaniel control over my estate. She said she was protecting him from my mistakes. I refused.*
I looked up.
"Estate?""
My mother looked away.
There was something she hadn't told me.
"Mom.""
She sighed.
"When your father died, he left me shares in his company.""
I knew about the shares.
What I didn't know was their value.
"How much?""
She hesitated.
"Enough that Isabella would never have to work again.""
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
My mother had always lived simply.
She wore the same watch for twenty years.
She donated money quietly.
She never talked about wealth.
But Isabella knew.
And suddenly everything looked different.
The rushed wedding plans.
The sudden interest in my family's finances.
The way Isabella always asked about my mother's health.
My phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
My blood froze.
It was a photo.
A picture of Isabella standing with another man.
Not recently.
Years ago.
The message underneath said:
*You don't know who you are marrying. Ask her about Daniel Reeves.*
I stared at the screen.
My mother noticed my expression.
"What is it?""
I didn't answer.
Because I recognized the man in the photo.
Daniel Reeves was the only person Isabella had ever told me she hated.
Her former business partner.
The man she claimed ruined her life.
But in the picture, Isabella wasn't angry.
She was smiling.
And she was holding his hand.
I looked at my mother.
"Mom...""
She saw the photo.
Her face turned pale.
"Nathaniel, where did you get that?""
Before I could respond, another message arrived.
This time, it was a video.
A security camera recording.
The timestamp was from six months earlier.
The moment I pressed play, I heard Isabella's voice.
And she wasn't talking to me.
She was talking about my mother.
"Once Nathaniel signs the marriage documents, Evelyn won't be a problem anymore.""
My fingers went cold.
Then Daniel's voice answered:
"What if he finds out?""
Isabella smiled at him.
"He won't.""
The video continued.
May you like
And then she said the one thing that made me realize my entire relationship had been built on a lie.
"Because Nathaniel only sees what I want him to see.""
