Chapter 3 - The Letter Kenneth Never Wanted Me to Read
Justin held the navy-blue envelope with both hands.
Neither of us reached for it immediately.
The street behind us was filled with sirens, firefighters, and reporters covering the explosion at Rollins Capital.
To everyone else, it was a corporate emergency.
To me...
It felt like someone had just erased years of evidence.
Justin finally spoke.
"Maya hid this inside the lining of her handbag."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I didn't know it existed."
He looked ashamed.
"I was too busy hating her."
I accepted the envelope carefully.
Kenneth's handwriting covered the front.
ONLY SABRINA MUST READ THIS.
There was no stamp.
No date.
Only my name.
I broke the seal.
Inside were three pages.
The first sentence made my blood run cold.
Sabrina,
If you are reading this, then I have already failed.
Not as your husband.
As your witness.
I read the line again.
Witness?
Not husband.
Not victim.
Witness.
The next paragraph was written in a hurry, the ink uneven as if Kenneth had been interrupted.
Everything you believe about our marriage is true.
I lied to you.
I betrayed you.
But none of it began because I loved another woman.
It began because someone gave me a choice.
Obey...
Or watch innocent people disappear.
I looked up.
Justin's expression told me he had noticed my face changing.
"What is it?"
I continued reading.
Maya was never my lover.
She was my courier.
Neither of us could refuse.
Every meeting.
Every hotel.
Every transfer.
Every photograph.
Someone wanted us to look guilty.
If the truth ever surfaced...
Everyone would stop investigating after discovering the affair.
It was camouflage.
I closed my eyes.
The investigator had been right.
The affair had looked staged.
Kenneth had wanted us to believe it.
But why?
The second page answered part of the question.
Project Twin has already reached Phase Four.
Children have been replaced.
Records have been altered.
Families have been paid.
Hospitals have been compromised.
If they discover you know this...
Run.
Do not trust the police.
Do not trust my partners.
Do not trust anyone wearing the Silver Crest.
Silver Crest?
I had never heard those words before.
Justin frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
The third page contained only names.
Dozens of them.
Doctors.
Judges.
Bank executives.
Police commanders.
State officials.
Some were famous.
Others completely unknown.
Beside each name was either a circle...
Or a cross.
At the very bottom...
One name stood alone.
Sabrina Rollins.
No symbol.
Just my name.
Someone expected me to be added to the list.
Suddenly...
A black SUV stopped across the street.
Its windows were completely tinted.
Neither of us moved.
The rear window rolled down halfway.
An elderly woman wearing dark sunglasses looked directly at me.
She smiled.
Then the vehicle drove away.
Justin whispered,
"Do you know her?"
"No."
But something about her smile felt familiar.
Almost...
Maternal.
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number again.
This time it was a video.
No message.
Only a twenty-second recording.
I pressed play.
The footage showed Kenneth.
Not from today.
Not from yesterday.
He sat inside a dimly lit room.
His hands were tied to a chair.
Someone stood behind the camera.
A distorted voice asked,
"Who knows about Project Twin?"
Kenneth answered immediately.
"My wife knows nothing."
A loud punch struck his face.
Blood covered his shirt.
Again the voice asked,
"Who can open the archive?"
Kenneth whispered,
"Only Sabrina."
The recording ended.
Justin stared at me.
"What archive?"
"I've never heard of it."
"But Kenneth believed you could open it."
I replayed the video.
Something else caught my attention.
Behind Kenneth...
A wall clock.
The date.
Tomorrow.
I stopped breathing.
"This video can't be real."
"Why?"
"The date hasn't happened yet."
Justin grabbed my phone.
He checked again.
The timestamp clearly displayed tomorrow's date.
Neither of us spoke.
Someone had either manipulated the recording...
Or Kenneth was still alive somewhere after today's surgery.
Before we could discuss it further, another call came in.
Hospital.
I answered immediately.
"This is Sabrina."
The nurse sounded terrified.
"Mrs. Rollins..."
"What happened?"
"Your husband disappeared."
I thought I had misheard.
"What?"
"He was taken from recovery."
"Taken?"
"We don't know by whom."
"What about Maya?"
Silence.
Then...
"She's gone too."
My heart pounded.
"How is that possible?"
"The security cameras failed for exactly four minutes."
"And during those four minutes..."
"Their beds were emptied."
Justin grabbed the phone.
"What about security?"
The nurse's voice shook.
"Three guards were found unconscious."
"Did anyone see the kidnappers?"
"No."
"But..."
"But what?"
"They left something behind."
"What?"
The nurse hesitated.
"A silver coin."
My eyes met Justin's.
Silver Crest.
The words from Kenneth's letter echoed inside my mind.
Do not trust anyone wearing the Silver Crest.
We rushed back to the hospital.
The emergency floor was sealed off with police tape.
Detectives questioned nurses.
Patients were being transferred.
Chaos filled every corridor.
A detective approached us.
"Mrs. Rollins?"
"Yes."
"I'm Detective Harris."
He held up a transparent evidence bag.
Inside rested an old silver coin.
One side carried an unfamiliar emblem.
A crown...
Entwined with two identical infants facing opposite directions.
Twins.
The detective asked quietly,
"Have you ever seen this symbol before?"
Before I could answer...
An elderly janitor pushing a mop bucket walked past us.
Without looking up, he murmured just loudly enough for me to hear.
"Don't lie."
Then he disappeared into the service hallway.
I looked after him.
It was the same janitor from earlier.
This time...
He had deliberately warned me.
Detective Harris frowned.
"Mrs. Rollins?"
I slowly looked back at the coin.
For reasons I couldn't explain...
I heard myself answer.
"...Yes."
The detective's expression changed instantly.
He leaned closer and whispered,
"Then you're in far greater danger than you realize."
At that exact moment...
Every light in the hospital flickered.
The emergency power activated.
A computerized voice echoed through every hallway.
"Archive access detected."
Nobody moved.
The announcement repeated a second time.
"Primary Archive has been unlocked."
Every monitor in the hospital suddenly displayed the same black screen.
May you like
One sentence appeared in white letters.
WELCOME BACK, SABRINA.
