CHAPTER 7 â THE LETTER FROM THE DEAD WIFE
The words echoed through the penthouse.
"Your wife knew she was in danger."
Victor Hale felt as if the entire world had stopped moving.
For three months, he had lived with one painful truth:
Elena died because of complications during childbirth.
A tragedy.
An accident.
Something nobody could change.
That was the only explanation doctors gave him.
That was the only explanation he allowed himself to believe.
Because the alternativeâŠ
The possibility that someone knew somethingâŠ
That someone could have saved herâŠ
Was too painful to imagine.
Victor stared at An.
His face was unreadable.
But his eyesâŠ
His eyes were filled with fear.
"What did you just say?"
An looked down at the necklace in her hand.
She seemed to realize there was no turning back now.
"Victor..."
"No."
His voice became sharper.
"Don't say my name like that."
He stepped closer.
"You've known something about Elena this entire time."
Silence.
"You worked for her."
Another step.
"You were with her before she died."
His breathing became heavier.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
An closed her eyes.
Because this was the moment she had feared.
The moment she knew would come.
"The truth isn't always simple."
Victor laughed bitterly.
"Simple?"
His voice broke.
"My wife died."
The anger in his voice shook the room.
"My son lost his mother."
"I lost the woman I loved."
He pointed at the necklace.
"And you've been carrying a secret this whole time."
An lowered her head.
"I was protecting Ethan."
Victor froze.
"Protecting him from what?"
An looked at him.
"From the people who wanted Elena silent."
Three months earlierâŠ
The night before Elena gave birth.
An remembered everything.
She remembered the hospital room.
The fear in Elena's eyes.
The way her hands trembled while holding the necklace.
"An..."
Elena's voice had been weak.
"Promise me something."
An had sat beside her bed.
"Anything."
"If something happens to me..."
An immediately shook her head.
"Don't say that."
But Elena continued.
"Listen to me."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Victor is strong. Everyone thinks he can handle anything."
She looked toward her unborn child.
"But he doesn't know how to survive losing someone."
An held her hand.
"Nothing will happen."
Elena smiled sadly.
"I hope you're right."
Then she removed the necklace from her neck.
Inside it was a tiny hidden compartment.
An had never known it existed.
Elena opened it.
And showed her something.
A small piece of paper.
A name.
A number.
And a warning.
"Never let this fall into the wrong hands."
An remembered asking:
"Who are you afraid of?"
But Elena only whispered:
"Someone close."
Back in the penthouseâŠ
Victor couldn't move.
"Someone close?"
He repeated.
"Who?"
An looked at him.
"I don't know."
The answer made him angry.
"You don't know?"
"No."
Her voice became emotional.
"Elena never told me everything."
Victor turned away.
"So you expect me to believe my wife was hiding things from me?"
An remained silent.
And that silence answered enough.
Victor walked toward the window.
The same window where he had held Ethan on the night everything changed.
His reflection stared back.
A powerful man.
A broken man.
A man who suddenly realized he might never have truly known his own life.
"Why didn't she tell me?"
His voice was barely a whisper.
An answered softly.
"Because she loved you."
Victor turned.
"That makes no sense."
"It does."
An looked at him.
"Elena knew you would destroy anyone who threatened your family."
Victor's expression changed.
"Of course I would."
"Exactly."
An paused.
"She was afraid your anger would put Ethan in more danger."
Victor said nothing.
Because he knew his own nature.
When someone hurt himâŠ
He destroyed them.
And Elena knew that.
Suddenly, Ethan began crying.
Both of them turned.
Victor immediately moved.
But An stopped him gently.
"No."
He looked confused.
"What?"
She smiled faintly.
"Your turn."
Victor looked at the baby.
Then at her.
He understood.
She wasn't taking his place.
She was teaching him.
Slowly, Victor picked Ethan up.
This timeâŠ
His hands were steadier.
He didn't panic.
He whispered:
"Daddy's here."
The baby slowly calmed.
An watched quietly.
And something inside her softened.
Because this was what Elena wanted.
Victor and Ethan together.
Later that nightâŠ
Victor sat in his office.
The necklace was on the desk.
Beside it was a copy of Elena's medical records.
He had requested everything.
Every document.
Every report.
Every detail.
And thenâŠ
Something caught his attention.
A signature.
A name.
The doctor who approved the final medical report.
Victor stared.
Because that doctorâŠ
Was not the one he remembered.
He immediately called his assistant.
"Find everything about Dr. Adrian Cole."
A pause.
"And tell me why his name is on my wife's report."
Meanwhile, across the cityâŠ
A man stood in a dark office.
He received a message.
Victor Hale is investigating Elena's death.
The man smiled.
"So..."
He looked at an old photograph of Elena.
"An finally told him."
He poured himself a drink.
"This is going to be interesting."
The next morningâŠ
Victor received another envelope.
This time, it wasn't anonymous.
There was a name.
Elena Hale.
Impossible.
Because Elena had been dead for three months.
His hands shook as he opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Written in Elena's handwriting.
His breath stopped.
The first sentence nearly destroyed him.
"Victor, if you are reading this, it means I didn't get the chance to tell you the truth myself."
His eyes blurred.
He continued reading.
"The night Ethan was born was not only the happiest night of my life..."
A pause.
Then the next line:
"It was also the night I discovered someone in our family wanted me gone."
Victor dropped the letter.
The room became silent.
Because suddenlyâŠ
The greatest enemy of Victor HaleâŠ
May you like
Was no longer outside his empire.
It was inside his family.
