Chapter 14 - THE WOMAN IN THE COFFIN
The question silenced us.
Elena’s funeral had included a body.
DNA identification had supposedly confirmed it.
If Elena was alive, who had Alexander buried?
Investigators reopened the case.
The answer took three weeks.
The woman was Maria Collins.
Twenty-nine years old.
A former administrative assistant at Whitmore Holdings.
She had disappeared two days before Elena’s accident.
Maria had discovered suspicious payments connected to Charles.
She threatened to report them.
Charles solved two problems at once.
Maria disappeared.
Elena “died.”
Records were manipulated.
Evidence was switched.
One woman was erased.
Another was buried under her name.
Alexander stood beside Maria’s real family when investigators told them.
Her mother cried for nearly an hour.
Alexander stayed.
He didn’t defend Charles.
He didn’t defend Whitmore Holdings.
He apologized.
Then he paid for Maria to be buried under her own name.
Not from company funds.
From his personal money.
At the new funeral, Maria’s mother approached Elena.
“You survived.”
Elena nodded.
“My daughter didn’t.”
There was no answer to that.
Elena simply hugged her.
A month later, Charles accepted a plea agreement that ensured he would spend the remainder of his life in prison.
Dr. Pierce lost his medical license and faced sentencing.
Cynthia received a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to multiple charges.
Vanessa received a reduced sentence because of her cooperation.
The legal story ended.
But Alexander’s personal story was only beginning.
One evening, he stood outside Elena’s apartment.
She opened the door.
Noah was sleeping against her shoulder.
Alexander held a small overnight bag.
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“What’s that?”
“Diapers.”
She smiled.
“That bag is enormous.”
“I bought several kinds.”
“How many?”
“Seven.”
Elena laughed.
May you like
For the first time in three years, Alexander heard that sound again.
And something inside him finally began to heal.
