Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN WHO STOLE EVERYTHING
Victoria tried to recover.
She placed her wine glass down and forced a calm expression.
“I meant you should stay away from old memories. Sarah has been gone for years.”
Edward stared at her.
“Then why do you know about this file?”
Victoria said nothing.
That silence answered everything.
Emma stood behind her father, watching the woman who had controlled her life suddenly lose control.
For the first time, Victoria looked afraid.
“Edward, you’re letting your daughter manipulate you.”
Emma flinched.
Edward immediately stepped forward.
“Don’t talk about my daughter like that.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“Your daughter?”
She looked at Emma.
“You barely knew where she was for the last year.”
The words hurt.
Because they were cruel.
And because part of Edward feared they were true.
But then Emma spoke.
“She’s right about one thing.”
Everyone looked at her.
“I needed you, Dad.”
Edward’s face broke.
“I was there.”
“No.”
Emma shook her head.
“You were busy.”
The truth hurt more than any accusation.
“I called you.”
Edward lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
“You never answered.”
Silence.
Victoria watched the pain between them.
She thought she had won.
Until Edward looked up.
And the sadness in his eyes became anger.
“You used my mistake to hurt my daughter.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Edward—”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
“You don’t get to hide behind my failures.”
Marcus suddenly interrupted.
“Sir.”
Everyone turned.
Marcus was holding another document.
“I found something else.”
Edward took the paper.
His hands tightened.
It was a bank transfer.
A payment made twenty years ago.
The recipient was a private medical facility.
The sender?
Victoria Hayes.
Edward looked at her.
“What is this?”
Victoria said nothing.
“Why were you paying a medical facility the same month Sarah died?”
Her face went completely still.
Then she whispered:
“Because your wife wasn’t supposed to survive.”
The room froze.
Emma covered her mouth.
Edward stared at her.
“What did you say?”
Victoria immediately realized what she had admitted.
But it was too late.
Edward stepped closer.
“Say that again.”
Victoria backed away.
“I didn’t mean—”
“You said my wife wasn’t supposed to survive.”
Edward’s voice became terrifyingly calm.
And everyone in the room knew something had changed.
The man standing there was no longer just a husband.
He was a father who had finally discovered someone had destroyed his family.
Then Marcus’ phone rang.
He answered.
A few seconds later, his face turned serious.
“Sir…”
Edward looked at him.
“What?”
Marcus hesitated.
“We found the doctor who treated Sarah that night.”
Edward froze.
“Where is he?”
Marcus looked at Victoria.
May you like
“He disappeared two days ago.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
