Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD

I stared at the photograph on the table.

My hands felt numb.

My mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.

There was my first wife, Elena.

Alive.

Standing beside Rhea.

The same Rhea who had spent the last year telling me she understood my pain.

The same Rhea who held me when I cried about losing Elena.

The same woman who looked into my eyes and said:

“I wish I could have met her.”

But she had.

She knew her.

She had known her all along.

I slowly turned toward Rhea.

“How long?”

Her face remained frozen.

“How long did you know my wife was alive?”

“James…”

“How long?”

My voice shook the entire room.

Perrin moved closer to me.

He could feel something was breaking.

Rhea looked away.

And that was when I knew.

The truth was worse than anything I imagined.

The stranger stepped forward.

“My name is Victor Hale.”

I ignored him.

My eyes stayed on Rhea.

“You let me mourn her.”

A tear rolled down Perrin’s cheek.

“You let my son believe his mother was gone.”

Rhea finally spoke.

“You don’t understand.”

I laughed bitterly.

“Everyone keeps saying that.”

“You think I wanted this?”

“No.”

I pointed at the hidden room.

“I think you wanted control.”

Her expression hardened.

“You have no idea what Elena did.”

The name hit me.

Elena.

After three years, someone finally said her name out loud.

“What did she do?”

Rhea hesitated.

Victor answered.

“She discovered something.”

I looked at him.

“What?”

He placed another file on the table.

Inside were documents.

Bank records.

Messages.

Photos.

And one name repeated over and over.

Mine.

“What is this?”

Victor looked serious.

“Your company was being used to move illegal money.”

I stared at him.

“That’s impossible.”

“Is it?”

He opened another page.

“Your signature.”

My stomach dropped.

“I never signed this.”

Victor nodded.

“Exactly.”

A cold feeling moved through me.

Someone had used my identity.

Someone close to me.

I looked at Rhea.

She didn’t deny it.

“Tell me everything.”

She took a slow breath.

Then whispered:

“Elena found out your business partner was stealing from you.”

My heart tightened.

“My partner?”

Victor nodded.

“Your closest friend.”

I felt sick.

“Daniel?”

Nobody answered.

But their silence was enough.

Daniel.

The man who stood beside me when I built my company.

The man who gave a speech at my wedding.

The man who hugged my son like family.

Victor looked at me.

“And Elena was going to expose him.”

“Then why did everyone say she died?”

Rhea’s eyes filled with fear.

“Because Daniel made sure she disappeared.”

The room went silent.

Then my phone rang.

Unknown number.

I answered.

A woman’s voice whispered:

“James…”

My entire body froze.

Because I knew that voice.

“Don’t trust anyone in that house.”

My fingers tightened around the phone.

“Elena?”

A pause.

Then:

“He knows you found Perrin.”

The call ended.

And outside the window…

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