Chapter 5: The Secret Behind the Fireplace
Nathan didn't let Victoria leave the rooftop.
He didn't touch her.
He simply stepped between her and the glass doors.
"Who is calling you?""
Victoria locked her phone.
"Nobody.""
"Then answer it.""
"I'm not taking orders from you.""
Nathan held up the photograph of the security access log.
"Someone disabled the camera before Lily fell. Someone knew exactly where you would be standing. And now someone is sending you messages about keeping my daughter quiet.""
Victoria's face tightened.
"You're twisting everything.""
"Then explain it.""
She looked toward the wedding tables.
The white roses.
The empty chairs.
The champagne glasses that had never been used.
Her wedding had been planned down to the smallest detail.
Now every part of it looked like evidence.
Jada sat beside Lily on a nearby bench.
She had found a clean napkin and was gently wiping the child's tears.
"Does anything hurt?"" Jada asked.
Lily shook her head.
"My arms hurt a little.""
Jada looked at Nathan.
"She needs to be checked by a doctor.""
Nathan immediately nodded.
"You're right.""
Victoria laughed.
"You're acting as though she's been seriously injured.""
Jada turned sharply.
"She was hanging over the side of a rooftop!""
Victoria rolled her eyes.
"She's perfectly fine.""
Nathan looked at her.
"Don't speak about her like she's an inconvenience.""
Victoria's eyes flashed.
"You've known her for less than an hour.""
Nathan stepped closer.
"And you've known her for six years. That makes what you did worse.""
Victoria went silent.
A few moments later, Marcus arrived through the glass doors.
He was Nathan's longtime head of security, a broad-shouldered Black American man in a charcoal suit.
He carried a tablet.
"Nathan.""
Nathan approached him.
"Show me the footage.""
Marcus glanced at Victoria.
"There's a problem.""
"What problem?""
"The rooftop camera was disabled. But the service entrance camera was working.""
Victoria's face changed.
Nathan noticed.
"Play it.""
Marcus opened the recording.
The footage showed the rooftop service entrance from the previous afternoon.
Victoria appeared on the screen wearing a different outfit.
She walked into the terrace carrying a small black case.
She looked around before placing it behind a decorative planter near the parapet.
Then she took out her phone.
She made a call.
Marcus increased the volume.
Victoria's voice came through the tablet.
"Everything is arranged.""
A man's voice answered.
"Are you certain?""
Victoria nodded.
"Yes. The girl will be there.""
"What about the groom?""
"He won't interfere.""
"And the server?""
"She doesn't matter.""
The recording ended.
Nathan looked at Victoria.
"Who were you talking to?""
Victoria shook her head.
"That's been edited.""
Marcus spoke calmly.
"The original file is stored on a separate security server. This is the unaltered recording.""
Nathan looked back at the screen.
"Who was the man?""
Marcus enlarged the image.
The caller's number was visible on Victoria's phone.
Nathan recognized the area code.
He looked at Marcus.
"Can you identify it?""
"Not yet.""
Victoria folded her arms.
"You're wasting your time.""
Nathan turned toward her.
"You said the girl would be there. You said I wouldn't interfere. What exactly were you arranging?""
Victoria's eyes filled.
"I wanted her gone.""
Nathan went completely still.
"Gone where?""
"Somewhere away from us.""
"She was six!""
Victoria snapped.
"And she was destroying my life!""
Lily began crying again.
Jada immediately pulled her closer.
"Don't listen to her, sweetheart.""
Nathan took one step toward Victoria.
"You're going to explain everything.""
Victoria looked at Marcus.
Then at the tablet.
Then at Nathan.
And finally, she laughed.
It wasn't a happy sound.
It was the laugh of someone who had run out of excuses.
"You really want the truth?""
Nathan nodded.
"All of it.""
Victoria looked at him.
"Then go to your old apartment.""
Nathan frowned.
"What?""
"Amara's apartment. The fireplace. You keep talking about it like it's some magical place where you'll find answers.""
Nathan held up the letter.
"She told me to look there.""
Victoria's smile disappeared.
"Then go.""
"Why?""
"Because you'll finally understand why she disappeared.""
Nathan turned to Marcus.
"Arrange transport. We're going there.""
Marcus nodded.
Nathan looked at Jada.
"Can you stay with Lily until I get back?""
Jada hesitated.
"Why me?""
Nathan accepted the question.
"Because she trusts you. And because I owe you more than an apology.""
Jada looked down at Lily.
The child was gripping her hand.
"I'll stay," she said.
"But I'm not leaving her alone with Victoria.""
Nathan turned to Marcus.
"Make sure Victoria stays here.""
Victoria stepped forward.
"You can't detain me.""
"I'm not detaining you. I'm making sure you don't get near my daughter.""
Nathan left with Marcus.
The drive to the old apartment took less than twenty minutes.
Nathan barely spoke.
He sat in the back of the car with Amara's letter resting on his knees.
He remembered the apartment.
The tiny kitchen where Amara used to dance while cooking.
The living room where they had planned their future.
The fireplace where they had once sat on cold winter nights, drinking coffee and laughing about nothing.
He remembered the last time he had seen her.
She had been standing near the front door.
Her eyes were red.
He had been working late.
She had said she needed to talk.
He had told her they would discuss it tomorrow.
Tomorrow never came.
When Nathan arrived, the building looked almost exactly as he remembered.
The hallway smelled faintly of old wood and cleaning products.
He unlocked the apartment door with the key he had kept for years.
Inside, dust covered the furniture.
The curtains were still there.
The fireplace remained against the far wall.
Nathan stood in the middle of the room.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
Marcus waited near the entrance.
"Take your time.""
Nathan walked toward the fireplace.
He knelt and examined the bricks.
One near the lower corner looked slightly different.
He pressed it.
Nothing happened.
He pressed again.
A small section shifted.
Nathan carefully pulled the loose brick away.
Behind it was a narrow compartment.
Inside sat a velvet jewelry box and a sealed envelope.
Nathan removed both.
The box contained a small silver heart.
The matching necklace.
He opened the envelope.
The first page was a handwritten letter.
Nathan, I came here the night I left because I was afraid someone was watching me. Victoria had already threatened me twice. She said she would make sure you never believed I was carrying your child.
Nathan gripped the paper.
The next paragraph made his stomach turn.
I went to your office because I wanted to tell you the truth. But your assistant told me you had instructed him never to let me inside.
Nathan frowned.
He had never given that instruction.
He kept reading.
I waited outside for three hours. Then a man approached me and said you had sent him to take me somewhere safe.
Nathan stopped.
He read the sentence again.
A man.
Sent by him.
He had never sent anyone.
The letter continued.
I believed him because he knew your name, your company, and things only someone close to you would know. He took me to a house outside the city. I was kept there for two days.
Nathan's fingers trembled.
"Marcus.""
Marcus moved closer.
"What is it?""
Nathan handed him the page.
Marcus read it silently.
His expression hardened.
"Who took her?""
Nathan looked inside the envelope.
There was another sheet.
A photograph.
It showed Amara standing beside a black SUV.
A man stood near the driver's door.
Nathan recognized him immediately.
His face went pale.
"No...""
Marcus looked at the photograph.
"Do you know him?""
Nathan nodded slowly.
"That's Daniel.""
"Who is Daniel?""
"My older brother.""
Marcus stared.
Nathan looked back at the photograph.
Daniel Carter had died four years earlier.
At least, that was what Nathan had been told.
He had received a phone call from a hospital overseas.
There had been an accident.
A funeral had been held.
A closed coffin.
And no body for him to identify.
Nathan had never questioned it.
Until now.
A final note was tucked behind the photograph.
If Daniel comes back into your life, don't trust him.
Nathan felt the room spin.
Then his phone rang.
The caller ID displayed a number he hadn't seen in years.
He answered.
"Hello?""
A familiar male voice spoke.
"Hello, little brother.""
Nathan stopped breathing.
The voice laughed softly.
"I hear you found Amara's letter.""
Nathan gripped the phone.
"Daniel?""
"Surprised?""
"You're supposed to be dead.""
"People believe what they're told.""
Nathan looked at Marcus.
The security chief had gone completely still.
Nathan's brother continued.
"You should have left that little girl alone.""
Nathan's blood turned cold.
"How do you know about Lily?""
A pause.
Then Daniel answered.
"Because I'm the reason she was born.""
The call disconnected.
Nathan stared at the screen.
He slowly lowered the phone.
May you like
And for the first time, he wondered whether Lily was really his daughter.
Or whether his brother had been waiting six years to steal everything from him.
