Chapter 9: The Woman Who Died in My Wife's Place
Marcus couldn't stop staring at the photograph.
Two identical faces.
Two women standing beside his brother.
One had her arm around Daniel's shoulder.
The other was holding a folder.
Both were smiling.
He looked at Elina.
“Which one is you?””
She pointed to the woman holding the folder.
“That's me.””
Marcus studied the other woman's face.
“Your sister?””
“Yes.””
“Why did you never tell me about her?””
Elina wiped her tears.
“Because Elena had spent most of her life believing I had abandoned her.””
Marcus sat down.
“What happened?””
Elina took a slow breath.
Their parents had separated when the twins were young. One child had been raised by their mother, the other by an aunt in another state.
They had lost contact for years.
Then, six months before the disappearance, Elena had contacted Elina.
At first, their reunion had been emotional.
They had spent days comparing childhood memories, photographs, and family stories.
But Elena had also brought troubling information.
She had worked as an accountant for a company connected to Daniel.
She had discovered that he was moving money through fake property transactions.
When she confronted him, he threatened her.
Elina had tried to convince her sister to go to the authorities.
But Elena refused.
She wanted evidence first.
“She told me Daniel was planning something bigger,” Elina explained.
“She said he needed to remove me because I was the only person who could stop certain transactions.””
Marcus looked at the photograph.
“So Elena took your place?””
Elina nodded.
“On the night I disappeared, Daniel's men came to the house. Elena was wearing my coat. She knew they were watching the driveway.””
“And you?””
“She told me to escape through the back entrance. She said she'd follow me.””
Marcus swallowed.
“Did she?””
Elina shook her head.
“I never saw her again.””
The hospital room seemed to grow colder.
Marcus looked down.
“Then the woman they buried…”
“Was Elena.””
He closed his eyes.
The funeral returned to him.
The sealed coffin.
The flowers.
The eulogy.
The black suit he had worn.
He remembered placing his wedding ring against the coffin before it was lowered.
He had mourned the wrong woman.
And his wife's sister had died protecting her.
Marcus looked at Elina.
“Why did nobody tell me?””
“Because Daniel controlled the identification records. He wanted everyone to believe I was dead. If anyone discovered the body wasn't mine, they might investigate.””
Brooks placed the photograph on the table.
“We're checking the original forensic records. But there's another issue.””
Marcus looked up.
“What?””
“The estate's safe contained a recording. We recovered it.””
He placed a small tablet on the bedside table.
“Do you want to hear it?””
Elina nodded.
Brooks pressed play.
At first, there was only static.
Then Daniel's voice emerged.
“Once the funeral is finished, Marcus won't ask questions.””
A second voice answered.
Vanessa.
“And the wife?””
Daniel laughed.
“She'll be somewhere nobody can find her.””
“What about the money?””
“By the time she gets out, the company will belong to us.””
There was a pause.
Then a third voice spoke.
A woman's voice.
It wasn't Vanessa.
It wasn't Elina.
It was someone else.
“Daniel, you promised nobody would get hurt.””
Marcus leaned closer.
He knew that voice.
He had heard it countless times during family dinners.
It belonged to his mother.
Margaret Hale.
Elina began crying.
Marcus stopped the recording.
“My mother?””
Brooks nodded.
“She was listed as the original witness to the authorization agreement.””
Marcus stood.
“No. My mother had nothing to do with this.””
Elina looked at him.
“Marcus, she knew.””
He turned toward her.
“What?””
“She came to the chamber once.””
Marcus felt his heart pounding.
“She visited you?””
Elina nodded.
“She brought food and medication. She told me she wanted to help me escape.””
“Then why didn't she?””
Elina looked toward Lily.
“Because she was afraid of Daniel.””
Marcus stepped away from the bed.
His mother had attended his brother's funeral.
She had comforted him.
She had held Lily while he cried.
And she had known Elina was alive.
Brooks received another call.
He listened silently.
Then his expression hardened.
“Where?”” he asked.
He ended the call.
Marcus turned.
“What happened?””
“Your mother has just arrived at the police station.””
Marcus frowned.
“Why?””
“She's asking to make a statement.””
“About Daniel?””
Brooks shook his head.
“About the person who ordered your wife's disappearance.””
Elina gripped Marcus's hand.
“Don't let her leave.””
Marcus stared.
“Why?””
Elina looked terrified.
“Because your mother didn't just know where I was.””
She swallowed.
“She was the one who brought me to the pool.””
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face.
Brooks immediately called the station.
But before he could speak, a hospital security guard appeared at the doorway.
“Detective, there's a problem.””
Brooks turned.
“What?””
“The elderly woman who came to the police station has been identified.””
“Your mother?”” Marcus asked.
The guard shook his head.
“No, sir.””
He held out a tablet.
“Your mother is already inside the hospital.””
Marcus stared at him.
“That doesn't make sense.””
The guard pointed toward the corridor.
“She's been sitting outside your wife's room for twenty minutes.””
Elina began shaking.
Marcus slowly turned toward the open door.
At the far end of the corridor, an elderly woman stood beside the elevator.
She wore a dark blue coat and held a small leather handbag.
Marcus recognized her immediately.
His mother.
Margaret.
She smiled when she saw him.
Then she raised one hand.
“Marcus, darling,” she called.
“I think it's time you learned who your father really was.””
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Behind Marcus, Elina whispered something that made his blood run cold.
“Your father isn't dead either.””
