Chapter 1 — The Woman They Tried to Bury
The scream shattered the silence.
"Call an ambulance!"
For one endless second, nobody moved.
Then the funeral director rushed toward the coffin, his face drained of color.
"Oh my God..."
He pressed trembling fingers against Elena's neck.
His eyes widened.
"She's alive!"
The room exploded into chaos.
Guests stumbled backward.
Someone dropped a crystal wineglass.
Another began dialing emergency services.
Daniel ignored them all.
He ripped away the lace blanket covering Elena's body.
Her skin was cold.
Too cold.
Tiny puncture marks covered the inside of her left wrist.
Not one injection.
Several.
His military training told him exactly what that meant.
Someone hadn't merely sedated her.
They had carefully controlled her heartbeat until it became almost impossible to detect.
His jaw clenched.
Professional.
Calculated.
Intentional.
Marcus suddenly grabbed Daniel's shoulder.
"You've lost your mind."
Daniel slowly turned.
"I touched her pulse."
Marcus forced a laugh.
"You're emotional. You're imagining things."
Before Daniel could answer, Elena coughed.
A weak...
Painful...
Desperate cough.
The room fell silent.
Her fingers twitched.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Then barely audible...
"Daniel..."
His heart stopped.
"I'm here."
Tears blurred his vision as he held her hand.
"I'm here."
Her lips trembled.
"They..."
She struggled to breathe.
"They wanted..."
Her eyes rolled back.
The ambulance sirens echoed through the estate.
Daniel looked at his mother.
She wasn't crying.
May you like
She wasn't relieved.
She was furious.
