Chapter 3: The Secret Elena Couldn't Tell Him
The hospital room smelled of disinfectant and cold coffee.
Marcus sat beside Elena's bed, still wearing his soaked trousers and white dress shirt. His royal-blue jacket had been left behind at the mansion. A nurse had given him a towel, but he hadn't bothered drying his hair.
He hadn't slept.
He hadn't eaten.
And he hadn't released Elena's hand for more than a few seconds.
Ava was curled up in a chair beside the bed, wearing a borrowed pink sweater. She had refused to leave her mother's side, even when the doctors offered to take her to the children's waiting room.
Every few minutes, she reached out to touch Elena's arm.
Just to make sure she was still there.
Marcus understood.
He did the same thing whenever he thought nobody was watching.
At 2:17 in the morning, the attending physician entered with a tablet.
“Mr. Vale?””
Marcus stood immediately.
“How is she?””
“She's severely dehydrated, malnourished, and has several untreated injuries. There are also signs of prolonged restraint.””
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“Will she recover?””
The doctor hesitated.
“Physically, we expect her to improve with treatment. Emotionally, she's going to need time. She may experience confusion, panic, and difficulty sleeping.””
Elena turned her head toward him.
“I understand.””
The doctor gave her a gentle smile.
“We'll do everything we can.””
After he left, Marcus pulled the chair closer.
“Whoever did this will pay.””
Elena stared at the ceiling.
“Marcus, please.””
“Don't protect her.””
“I'm not.””
“Then tell me what happened.””
She closed her eyes.
Ava lifted her head.
“Mommy, you can tell Daddy. He's not going to be mad.””
Elena's expression broke.
She reached for her daughter.
“Come here, baby.””
Ava climbed onto the bed carefully, curling against her mother's side.
Elena kissed her forehead.
Then she looked at Marcus.
“It started the night of the accident.””
Marcus remembered every detail of that night.
A storm had rolled over the estate. The power had flickered. Elena had argued with him about a business contract, then taken her car and driven away.
He had called her twenty-three times.
The police had found her vehicle near the river two days later.
“I remember,” he said quietly.
“You weren't supposed to.””
Marcus frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Elena swallowed.
“I never left the mansion.””
He stared at her.
“What?””
“The car was planted near the river. Celeste arranged it.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“Why?””
“She wanted your company.””
He almost laughed, but the sound died in his throat.
“Celeste had no authority over my company.””
“She knew that. But she also knew you were planning to restructure everything after the acquisition. She needed to get close enough to influence the decisions.””
“She was my assistant.””
“And then she became your business adviser. Then your friend. Then the person you trusted with your household.””
Marcus looked at his hands.
He remembered Celeste comforting him after Elena disappeared.
Celeste bringing meals to his office.
Celeste helping Ava with her schoolwork.
Celeste sitting beside him at the memorial service, holding his hand while he cried.
All those moments now looked different.
“She was there when they found the car,” he whispered.
Elena nodded.
“She told me you were devastated. She said you were searching everywhere. Then she told me you had stopped.””
Marcus shook his head.
“I never stopped.””
“I know that now.””
He looked at her.
“How did she get you beneath the pool?””
Elena's fingers tightened around the blanket.
“She came into my room that night. She said she had something important to discuss. She was carrying a document folder.””
“What document?””
“A transfer of shares. She told me you had asked me to sign it.””
“I never did.””
“I refused. That's when she changed.””
Elena's voice became unsteady.
“She pushed me. I hit my head. When I woke up, I was in that chamber beneath the pool.””
Marcus felt sick.
“Who helped her?””
“I don't know. Sometimes I heard footsteps above me. Sometimes I heard voices through the pipes. But I never saw anyone except Celeste.””
Ava suddenly spoke.
“Mommy, I heard her too.””
Both adults turned toward her.
“What did you hear, sweetheart?”” Elena asked.
Ava rubbed her eyes.
“Last week, I woke up because somebody was in the hallway. I heard Miss Celeste say, ‘The little girl must not know.’”
Marcus's stomach dropped.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Ava looked down.
“She said you would be angry if I made up stories.””
Marcus knelt beside the bed.
“Baby, you can tell me anything. I will always listen.””
Ava nodded, but her small fingers remained wrapped around Elena's sleeve.
Marcus turned toward his wife.
“Why did Celeste want to keep you hidden?””
Elena stared at him for a long moment.
Then she spoke.
“Because she wasn't working alone.””
The room seemed to grow colder.
“What do you mean?””
“There was someone else.””
“Who?””
Elena shook her head.
“I never saw his face. But I heard his voice. He came down twice. He told her that the company transfer had to happen before the wedding.””
Marcus slowly straightened.
“The wedding?””
Elena looked toward the open doorway.
“The wedding you were planning tonight.””
A terrible silence filled the room.
The proposal.
The guests.
The ring.
Celeste's beautiful champagne dress.
Everything had been arranged.
But why had she been so desperate to marry him?
Marcus pulled out his phone.
“I'll call the police.””
“No,” Elena said.
He stopped.
“Why not?””
“She'll know.””
“She's already missing.””
“You don't understand. She has someone inside your house. Someone who can tell her everything you do.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Then I'll call someone I trust.””
Elena shook her head.
“Be careful. That's what she used against me.””
He looked at the silver key resting on the bedside table.
“What's this for?””
Elena glanced at it.
“Her office.””
Marcus picked it up.
“Celeste's office?””
“Your old study. She turned it into a private office after I disappeared.””
He remembered the room.
It was on the second floor, overlooking the pool. He rarely went inside because Celeste had insisted she needed privacy for company matters.
“What did she keep there?””
“Documents. Photographs. A computer.””
“Photographs of what?””
Elena hesitated.
“Of us.””
Marcus frowned.
“Us?””
“She took pictures of you when you weren't looking. She kept copies of your messages. She knew when you left the house, who you met, and what you discussed.””
A cold sensation crawled up his spine.
“How?””
Elena turned toward him.
“Because she installed cameras.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Where?””
“In the bedroom. The kitchen. The hallway. Even Ava's playroom.””
Ava sat upright.
“There's a camera in my room?””
Elena pulled her closer.
“Not anymore, sweetheart.””
Marcus felt something inside him turn to ice.
He had invited Celeste into their home.
He had allowed her access to every private corner of his life.
He had trusted her with his daughter.
And she had used that trust to imprison his wife beneath the place where his daughter played.
His phone vibrated.
A message from the head of mansion security.
*Mr. Vale, we found something in the east garage. You need to come back immediately.*
Marcus called him.
“What is it?””
The guard sounded nervous.
“It's the security footage from the night Mrs. Vale disappeared.””
“Send it to me.””
“We tried, sir. Someone deleted the original files. But there's a backup.””
“Where?””
“In the office.””
Marcus looked at Elena.
“I'm coming back.””
She grabbed his wrist.
“Don't go alone.””
“I won't.””
“Marcus, promise me something.””
He bent closer.
“Anything.””
“If you find the documents, don't sign anything. Don't agree to anything Celeste sends you. And don't trust anyone who tells you they know where she is.””
He searched her face.
“Why?””
Elena looked toward Ava.
Her lips trembled.
“Because Celeste told me that if I ever escaped, the next person she would put beneath that pool would be our daughter.””
Marcus felt his blood turn cold.
He stood and kissed Ava's forehead.
“I'm going to get something from home. I'll be back before you wake up.””
Ava caught his hand.
“Daddy?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Is Miss Celeste coming back?””
He forced himself to smile.
“No. She can't hurt you anymore.””
But he wasn't sure.
Not even close.
Marcus returned to the mansion at 3:06 a.m.
The driveway was deserted. The champagne glasses had been cleared from the terrace, and the decorative lights around the pool had been switched off.
A security officer waited by the front entrance.
“Mr. Vale.””
“What did you find?””
The man handed him a tablet.
“The backup footage is stored on an isolated system. It was never connected to the main network.””
Marcus entered the house.
The hallway felt unfamiliar.
Every mirror seemed to reflect a different version of the night. The red rose petals scattered across the staircase had begun to wilt. His abandoned ring box was still on the table near the terrace doors.
He walked past it.
“Show me.””
The guard brought up the video.
The date was November 18.
The night Elena disappeared.
The footage showed the east hallway at 9:42 p.m. Elena walked into the frame wearing a gray sweater. She looked upset, but she was carrying no suitcase and had no handbag.
Then Celeste appeared behind her.
She was holding a folder.
They entered the study.
Forty minutes passed.
At 10:23 p.m., Celeste emerged alone.
She was carrying Elena's handbag.
Marcus leaned closer to the screen.
“What happened inside?””
“There's another camera angle.””
The guard switched views.
A second video appeared.
The study.
Elena was sitting in a chair, reading a document.
Celeste stood behind her.
They argued.
Then Celeste leaned forward and placed a hand on Elena's shoulder.
The image froze.
Marcus frowned.
“Why did it stop?””
The guard shook his head.
“There's more.””
He opened a separate file.
The video resumed, but this time the timestamp showed 11:08 p.m.
Celeste was dragging a large black case across the floor.
Marcus stared at it.
Then he noticed something in the background.
The study's wooden bookshelf.
It had been moved away from the wall.
Behind it was a narrow metal door.
He had never seen it before.
“What's that?””
The security guard swallowed.
“We found the entrance yesterday. It leads to a maintenance corridor beneath the house.””
Marcus slowly turned toward him.
“Yesterday?””
“Yes, sir.””
“Why wasn't I told?””
The guard looked uncomfortable.
“Because someone gave us orders not to disturb the area.””
“Who?””
The man hesitated.
Then he handed Marcus a printed sheet.
At the bottom was a signature.
*Marcus Vale.*
Marcus stared at it.
He recognized the signature.
It was his.
But he had never signed that document.
“Who submitted this?””
The guard looked down.
“Your attorney's office.””
Marcus felt his heart hammering.
“What date?””
“Three days before Mrs. Vale disappeared.””
He read the authorization again.
Then he saw the final line.
*All access to the underground chamber is to remain restricted until further notice.*
Marcus looked at the study door.
The room where Celeste had worked.
The room where Elena had last been seen before she vanished.
And the room where someone had forged his name to seal a secret beneath his own home.
Then the guard spoke again.
“Mr. Vale, there's one more thing.””
He tapped the screen and enlarged the final frame.
Celeste was standing beside the metal door.
Her hand rested on the wall.
She was looking directly toward the camera.
Then she raised one finger to her lips.
As if she knew someone was watching.
As if she had known all along.
And beneath the image, a second figure appeared in the reflection of the glass cabinet.
A man.
A man Marcus recognized immediately.
May you like
His own older brother.
Julian.
