Chapter 3 - A THREAT AND A SECRET
Her words hung between us like smoke. I stared at her, trying to read her face. Was this blackmail? Desperation? Or did she truly hold something terrible?
Elena’s death had been sudden. An accident, the doctors said. A fall from the riverbank near our home. She had gone for a walk alone. She had slipped. She had drowned. There had been an investigation. A ruling. A funeral. And months of grief.
But Vivienne stood before me now, pale and trembling, threatening to unravel everything.
“Speak plainly,” I said. My voice remained steady, though my blood had turned to ice. “What do you know about Elena’s death?”
Vivienne glanced toward the stairs. The guards waited. Guests still watched from below. She leaned closer, her breath warm against my ear.
“Not here,” she whispered. “Dismiss them. Let us speak privately. Or the truth comes out right now. In front of everyone. And let us see who they believe.”
I studied her. She was bluffing. She had to be. And yet… there was a terrible certainty in her eyes. She believed she held power. She believed she could trade this secret for her freedom.
I made my choice. I turned to the guards. “Stand down. Return to your posts. No one comes up here.”
They nodded and retreated. Vivienne exhaled slowly, relieved. She thought she had won.
“Go to the west study,” I told her. “Wait for me there. And if you try to leave… or speak to anyone… you will spend the night in a police cell. Do not test me.”
She hesitated. Then she nodded. She walked down the hall, her gown swishing softly, disappearing through the tall oak doors.
I descended the stairs. My brother stood waiting at the bottom, Leo now quiet and sleeping peacefully against his shoulder. He saw my face.
“What did she say?” he asked quietly.
“That she knows something about Elena,” I said. “That she will ruin us if I cast her out.”
He frowned. “Ruin us? Adrian, she nearly killed Leo. You cannot seriously entertain—”
“I am not entertaining anything,” I interrupted. “But if she truly knows something… if Elena’s death was not what it seemed… I have to know. For Leo. For Elena.”
He looked down at the sleeping baby. His expression softened. “Be careful. Whatever she says… remember she is desperate. Desperate people lie.”
“I know.” I touched Leo’s cheek gently. “Take him to the nursery. Stay with him. Do not let anyone enter. Not the staff. Not anyone. And lock the door.”
“Understood.” He hesitated. “Adrian… if she is lying?”
“Then she leaves this house in handcuffs,” I said. “And she never sees the light of day again.”
I walked away from the foyer. Toward the west study. Toward whatever nightmare Vivienne had prepared.
When I entered, she stood by the fireplace. She had poured herself a drink. Her hands were still shaking. She turned as the door clicked shut behind me.
“Speak,” I said. I remained standing near the door. I did not sit. I did not offer her comfort. “Tell me what you know.”
Vivienne sipped her drink. She set it down. She took a breath.
“The night Elena died,” she began. “She was not alone.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“She was not walking alone by the river,” Vivienne said. She spoke slowly, watching my reaction carefully. “Someone met her. Someone from this house. A man. They argued. There were witnesses. People who saw them near the water. Who heard shouting.”
“Who?” I demanded. “Who was it?”
Vivienne stepped closer. “Give me my place back. Let me stay. Protect me. And I will tell you everything. I will give you names. Statements. Proof. Cast me out… and I go to the police. I tell them you know. That you covered it up. That you allowed your wife’s killer to walk free.”
I stared at her. Rage warred with fear. She was lying. She had to be. And yet… the details were so specific. The witnesses. The argument. The timing.
“You are bluffing,” I said. But my voice lacked conviction.
Vivienne smiled sadly. “Am I? Check the records. Check the staff log from that night. See who left the house after Elena departed. See who returned wet and agitated hours later. See who was questioned… and then silenced.”
My mind raced. I remembered that night. I remembered the staff behaving strangely. The hesitation. The whispers. I had dismissed it as shock. As grief.
Vivienne walked to the door. She paused beside me.
“Choose, Adrian,” she whispered. “Keep your enemy close… or let the truth destroy everything you love. Including your son.”
May you like
She slipped past me. She was gone before I could stop her. Leaving me alone in the firelit room. Leaving me with a question that turned my blood cold.
If Elena did not die by accident… who killed my wife?
