Chapter 8: The Secret Behind Elena’s Death
The room became silent.
Not normal silence.
The kind that came before something broke.
Clara looked at Ricardo.
“What is he talking about?””
Ricardo didn’t answer.
Victor smiled.
“That’s what I thought.””
Dante stepped forward.
“You’re lying.””
Victor looked at him.
“Am I?””
His eyes moved back to Ricardo.
“Tell her.””
Ricardo’s jaw tightened.
Because he remembered that night.
But only pieces.
A phone call.
A hospital.
Blood.
Elena’s family telling him she was gone.
But there was one thing he never questioned.
Who caused it.
Until now.
“Victor,” Ricardo said slowly.
“You were there.””
Victor nodded.
“Yes.””
Clara looked between them.
“What happened?””
Victor sighed.
“Your mother found out I changed the records.””
Ricardo’s eyes darkened.
“She confronted you.””
“Yes.””
“And you killed her.””
Victor laughed softly.
“No.””
The answer surprised everyone.
“No?””
Victor shook his head.
“I loved Elena.””
Ricardo stepped forward.
“You don’t get to say that.””
Victor looked at Clara.
“I loved her enough to do anything.””
“That’s not love.””
Ricardo’s voice was deadly.
“That’s obsession.””
Victor smiled.
“Maybe.””
Then he reached into his coat.
Dante immediately raised his weapon.
But Victor only pulled out a small device.
“A recording.””
He pressed a button.
Elena’s voice filled the room.
Ricardo froze.
Clara covered her mouth.
Because she was hearing her mother.
Alive.
Victor, please. You have to stop.
A younger Victor answered.
I’m trying to protect you.
Elena sounded terrified.
You’re hurting everyone.
A pause.
Then Elena whispered:
Ricardo will never forgive you.
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Victor looked at Ricardo.
“You see?””
Ricardo stared at him.
“You still think this proves something?””
Victor’s face hardened.
“It proves Elena knew.””
“Knew what?””
Victor looked at Clara.
“She knew Ricardo was dangerous.””
The room changed.
Clara looked at Ricardo.
And for the first time, doubt appeared.
Ricardo saw it.
That hurt more than any betrayal.
“Clara.””
She stepped back.
“I don’t know what to believe.””
Ricardo’s voice softened.
“Believe me.””
“How?””
The question was quiet.
“How do I know anyone is telling me the truth?””
Nobody had an answer.
Later that night, Ricardo found Clara sitting alone.
He didn’t approach immediately.
He waited.
Finally, she spoke.
“My whole life has been built on secrets.””
Ricardo sat beside her.
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
She looked at him.
“You had power. You had people protecting you.””
Her voice cracked.
“I had a mother who disappeared and a father who didn’t even know I existed.””
Ricardo looked down.
“I can’t fix that.””
“No.””
She wiped her eyes.
“But you can stop lying.””
Ricardo nodded.
“I will.””
The next morning, Dante uncovered something hidden in Victor’s recording.
The audio had been edited.
A missing section.
A section Victor removed.
When Dante restored it, Elena’s real words appeared.
Victor, if anything happens to me, tell Ricardo the truth.
A pause.
Then Elena continued.
Clara is his daughter. Not yours.
Ricardo closed his eyes.
Finally.
The truth.
But there was more.
Elena’s voice became desperate.
The person who betrayed us is someone closer than either of us imagined.
Dante looked at Ricardo.
“Someone else?””
Ricardo stared at the recording.
Someone else had helped Victor.
Someone else had hidden Clara.
Someone else had destroyed Elena’s life.
Then the mansion alarms suddenly went off.
A guard rushed inside.
“Boss!””
Ricardo stood.
“What happened?””
The guard looked terrified.
“Someone broke into the archives.””
Ricardo’s face changed.
“What did they take?””
The guard swallowed.
“Only one thing.””
“What?””
The guard handed him a photograph.
Ricardo looked at it.
And felt the world stop.
Because it was a picture of Elena.
Holding baby Clara.
Standing beside another person.
A person Ricardo knew.
A person who had been loyal to him for years.
Dante looked at the photograph.
Then slowly lowered his weapon.
May you like
Because the person in the picture…
Was him.
