Chapter 8 - The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
Victoria didn’t sleep.
She sat in her office staring at the necklace.
The words kept repeating in her mind.
I’M STILL ALIVE.
Impossible.
She had seen the reports.
She had seen the evidence.
She had mourned Isabella.
But now…
A small piece of metal had destroyed everything she believed.
Daniel arrived early the next morning.
“You called me?”
Victoria handed him the necklace.
He read the engraving.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get this?”
“Adrian left it.”
Daniel became serious.
“Victoria…”
“I know.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“You don’t know what this means.”
“Then tell me.”
Daniel hesitated.
“This means Isabella planned for you to find her.”
Victoria stared.
“She knew she might disappear.”
Daniel nodded.
“And she left a trail.”
Victoria walked toward the window.
A billion-dollar empire surrounded her.
But none of it mattered.
The only thing she wanted was an answer.
“Find her.”
Daniel looked surprised.
“What?”
“Find Isabella.”
“Victoria, if she’s alive…”
“I know.”
“She may not want to be found.”
Victoria turned.
“She left her daughter alone.”
Her voice became emotional.
“She trusted me to protect Maya.”
A pause.
“I’m not stopping.”
Meanwhile, Maya sat in the garden.
Charlie rested beside her.
Victoria approached.
“Maya.”
The girl looked up.
“Yes?”
“I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Do you remember the last time you saw your mom?”
Maya became quiet.
Then she nodded.
“We were in a car.”
Victoria sat beside her.
“Where were you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“What happened?”
Maya looked down.
“She told me not to look back.”
Victoria felt her heart tighten.
“Why?”
“She said bad people were watching.”
“What else?”
Maya touched her necklace.
“She gave me this.”
“Then what?”
The girl’s eyes filled with tears.
“She hugged me.”
Her voice cracked.
“And she said she loved me.”
Victoria held her hand.
“Maya…”
“But then she didn’t come back.”
Victoria hugged her.
For the first time, Maya allowed herself to cry.
Not a small tear.
Not silent sadness.
Years of pain finally coming out.
That afternoon, Daniel found something.
A hidden bank account.
Opened under a fake name.
Connected to Isabella.
Victoria stared at the documents.
“When was the last activity?”
Daniel looked serious.
“Three months ago.”
Victoria froze.
“Three months?”
“Yes.”
“So someone has been using it.”
Daniel nodded.
“And there’s more.”
He placed another file on the table.
A location.
A small town in northern Spain.
Victoria looked at it.
“What is there?”
Daniel answered:
“An old medical facility.”
Victoria felt cold.
“Why?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Because ten years ago…”
He paused.
“That facility recorded the arrival of an unidentified woman.”
Victoria whispered:
“Isabella?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
That night, Victoria and Maya arrived at the abandoned facility.
The building was old.
Broken windows.
Empty halls.
But someone had recently been there.
A door at the end of the hallway was locked.
Victoria touched it.
Inside…
A light was still on.
She opened it.
The room was empty.
Except for one thing.
A table.
A chair.
And a photograph.
Victoria picked it up.
It was Isabella.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
May you like
On the back of the photo was written:
“VICTORIA, IF YOU FOUND THIS, YOU ARE FINALLY READY TO KNOW WHY I DISAPPEARED.”
