Chapter 4 – The Forgotten Journal
Grace waited until Isabella's footsteps disappeared.
Only then did she breathe again.
Calling the police crossed her mind immediately.
But what if Isabella reached the ballroom first?
Hundreds of guests filled the mansion.
Confusion would give Isabella time to disappear.
Grace needed proof.
Real proof.
She quietly examined the corridor.
The newly poured concrete looked smooth.
Except for one section.
A narrow crack ran beneath an old wooden cabinet.
She pulled it aside.
Hidden behind it sat a dusty metal box.
No lock.
Only decades of dust.
Inside...
She found an old leather journal.
The cover carried faded gold initials.
E.A.
Emma Ashford.
Nathan's late wife.
Grace carefully opened the first page.
Most entries described ordinary family life.
Oliver losing his first tooth.
Family vacations.
School concerts.
Then the handwriting suddenly changed.
The letters became rushed.
Uneven.
Fear had found its way onto every page.
"If anything happens to me, do not trust Isabella."
Grace's heartbeat accelerated.
Another page.
"Nathan believes Isabella came to help our foundation."
"He doesn't see how she watches Oliver."
Another.
"I found architectural drawings for a basement renovation."
"No one approved the project."
Another.
"If I disappear..."
"...the house itself will tell the truth."
Grace stared at the final unfinished sentence.
Ink streaked across the page.
As though the journal had been ripped away.
A loud metallic sound interrupted her thoughts.
The keypad beside Oliver's room suddenly beeped.
Someone was entering another code.
Not Isabella.
Someone else had access.
Grace quickly slipped behind the cabinet.
The steel door opened again.
May you like
This time...
Nathan Ashford himself stepped into the corridor.
