Chapter 2 - THE FOLDER IN THE OFFICE
The ambulance siren was getting closer.
But Michael barely heard it.
His eyes were locked on Sophia.
The woman he had defended his entire life.
His little sister.
The person he thought would never betray him.
“What was in the folder?”
Michael asked again.
This time his voice was different.
Not angry.
Not loud.
Just cold.
Sophia looked away.
“Michael, this isn’t the time.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“This is exactly the time.”
Emily was still lying on the floor.
Her face was pale.
Her hands protected her stomach.
But she was watching Sophia.
Because she understood something now.
The staircase wasn’t the real story.
It was just the beginning.
“Mason said you were in my office last night.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed.
“Were you?”
Sophia shook her head quickly.
“Of course not.”
“Mason doesn’t lie.”
“He’s seven years old, Michael.”
Sophia forced a smile.
“Kids misunderstand things.”
From the floor, Emily spoke quietly.
“He saw you.”
Sophia looked at her.
“Stay out of this.”
Emily laughed weakly.
“Funny.”
“What?”
“You were trying to make everyone believe I was the problem.”
She looked at Michael.
“But somehow, you’re the only person in this house who never asks questions.”
Michael looked hurt.
“Emily…”
“No.”
She swallowed.
“I need you to hear this.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I was pushed down those stairs.”
Silence.
Then the ambulance crew rushed inside.
“Where is the patient?”
Michael stepped aside.
The paramedics moved toward Emily.
One of them looked at Michael.
“Is this your wife?”
Michael hesitated.
That hesitation broke something inside Emily.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I’m his wife.”
The paramedic noticed the tension.
“Sir, we need space.”
Michael stepped back.
But his eyes stayed on Sophia.
Twenty minutes later, Emily was taken to the hospital.
Michael followed.
But Sophia came too.
She acted scared.
Concerned.
A perfect performance.
Until they reached the waiting room.
Michael sat down.
His hands were shaking.
The doctor had not given them answers yet.
Then Mason walked over.
“Dad?”
Michael looked up.
“Yeah?”
“Are you mad at Mom?”
The question hit harder than any accusation.
Michael looked at his son.
“No.”
“Are you mad at Aunt Sophia?”
Michael didn’t answer.
Because for the first time in years…
He didn’t know who to trust.
An hour passed.
The doctor finally walked out.
Michael stood immediately.
“How is my wife?”
The doctor looked serious.
“She and the baby are stable.”
Michael closed his eyes.
Relief.
“She was lucky.”
Then the doctor paused.
“But…”
Michael’s heart dropped.
“What?”
“We found signs that suggest this wasn’t just a normal fall.”
Michael frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The doctor looked at him.
“Your wife had bruising on her arm.”
Michael froze.
“From the fall?”
The doctor shook his head.
“No.”
A long silence.
“Someone grabbed her.”
Michael looked through the hospital window.
Emily was asleep.
And for the first time…
He realized something terrifying.
He had believed the wrong person.
That night, after Emily was resting, Michael returned home.
He walked directly to his office.
The room was dark.
Quiet.
Everything looked normal.
Until he opened the desk drawer.
The folder was gone.
His blood ran cold.
Someone had taken it.
But then he noticed something else.
A small piece of paper was lying underneath the drawer.
A handwritten note.
Three words.
Michael picked it up.
And his face changed.
Because he recognized the handwriting.
It was his own.
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The note said:
“DON’T TRUST SOPHIA.”
