Chapter 4 - The Sister He Pushed Away
Camille arrived before midnight.
She entered Lena’s hospital room carrying no luggage, wearing the same gray coat she had put on when she rushed to the airport.
The moment she saw Lena’s casts and bandage, her anger disappeared.
“Oh, Lena.”
She carefully embraced her sister without touching the injured arms.
“I’m sorry,” Lena whispered.
“For what?”
“For believing him instead of you.”
Two years earlier, Camille had warned Lena that Adrian was isolating her. She had seen him interrupt phone calls, read Lena’s messages, and criticize every friend who encouraged Lena to return to work.
Adrian convinced Lena that Camille wanted to damage their marriage.
Their final argument ended when Lena asked Camille to leave the Vale estate.
Camille had walked away with tears in her eyes.
Now she sat beside the hospital bed and gently moved a strand of hair away from Lena’s face.
“You survived,” she said. “That’s what matters.”
Detective Ruiz entered with an update.
The recording was authentic. Digital specialists confirmed it had been created on Lena’s phone and had not been edited.
Investigators had also found a small cutting tool in the estate garage. Traces of brake fluid were still visible on it.
“Was Adrian arrested?” Camille asked.
“Not yet,” Ruiz replied. “The tool has no usable fingerprints, and he claims the recorded conversation referred to a business simulation.”
Camille stared at him. “A business simulation involving Lena’s brakes?”
“It is a weak explanation, but we need evidence connecting him directly to the vehicle.”
Lena remembered something.
“The garage cameras.”
Adrian had installed an expensive security system throughout the estate.
Ruiz shook his head. “The footage from last night was deleted.”
“Can it be recovered?”
“Possibly.”
Camille reached into her handbag and removed a small silver key.
“Lena gave me this years ago,” she said. “It opens a storage box at our father’s old bank.”
Lena frowned. “Why do you have that?”
“Your father told me to keep it unless you ever said you were afraid of Adrian.”
Their father, Jonathan Mercer, had distrusted Adrian from the beginning. Before his death, he had created the family trust to protect Lena’s inheritance.
“What’s inside the box?” Ruiz asked.
“I don’t know,” Camille answered. “But Dad said it contained protection Adrian could never buy.”
The next morning, Camille and Ruiz went to the bank.
Inside the box, they found a sealed letter, a backup drive, and documents prepared six years earlier.
May you like
The letter was addressed to Lena.
If you are reading this, Adrian has finally shown you who he is.
