Chapter 12 - The Burning Towel)
Victoria had entered through a service corridor hidden behind the wardrobe wall.
Rachel did not know it existed.
Nathan did.
Too late.
Victoria moved quickly.
She shoved a rolling wardrobe cart into Nathan's path.
Rachel reached for Elara.
"Nathan, take her out."
Victoria laughed.
"No."
She stepped between them and the main door.
Her expression had lost every trace of elegance.
"You ruined everything."
Rachel kept her eyes on the hot straightener.
"Put it down."
"You found the drive."
"Yes."
"You brought Lauren back."
"Yes."
"You turned Nathan against his own father."
Nathan's voice sharpened.
"My father did that himself."
Victoria looked at him.
"You think Amelia was innocent?"
Nathan went still.
Victoria smiled.
"She was going to destroy your company."
"She was protecting our daughter."
"She was taking Elara away from you."
Nathan's face changed.
Rachel saw the manipulation landing.
Victoria stepped closer.
"She had divorce papers."
Nathan looked at her.
"Liar."
"Ask Michael."
Rachel spoke quickly.
"Nathan, don't."
Victoria smiled.
"See? Rachel knows."
Rachel did not.
But Victoria needed only uncertainty.
Then Elara began crying.
Victoria's eyes shifted toward the baby.
For a fraction of a second, everyone moved.
Nathan turned toward Elara.
Rachel stepped toward Victoria.
Victoria swung the straightener.
Rachel blocked her wrist.
They struggled.
Nathan pulled Elara backward.
Victoria kicked Rachel away.
Rachel struck the wardrobe island.
The straightener remained in Victoria's hand.
Nathan shouted, "Drop it."
Victoria looked toward him.
Then toward Elara.
Something in her face broke.
"If I can't control the trust, nobody will."
Rachel understood before Nathan did.
Victoria lunged toward Elara.
Rachel intercepted her.
The straightener struck the crib rail.
Victoria twisted free.
For a terrible instant, the heated plates touched Elara's tiny hand.
The baby screamed.
Rachel's body reacted before thought.
She kicked Victoria's wrist.
The straightener flew across the room.
It struck the wall.
Dropped.
Landed on a white towel.
Flame bloomed.
Victoria shouted, "She needs to learn a lesson."
Rachel shoved her aside.
She lifted Elara.
The baby's hand was reddening.
Her cry weakened.
"Elara."
Rachel turned toward the door.
Victoria slapped her.
Hard.
Rachel staggered.
Nathan rushed into the direct line of sight after pushing the fallen wardrobe cart away.
He saw only the final seconds.
Smoke.
Elara limp against Rachel.
Victoria pointing.
"She lost it. She hurt the baby."
Rachel's heart stopped.
Nathan's face became rage.
He took Elara from her.
"What did you do?"
Rachel tried to speak.
Then Nathan kicked her.
She flew backward into the black metal clothing rack.
Pain exploded through her abdomen and spine.
The rack collapsed.
Victoria stood behind Nathan.
Watching.
Rachel lay among the broken metal.
The towel burned.
Elara whimpered against Nathan's chest.
Rachel touched her shirt.
The USB.
She had copied the most important video files earlier that day and kept them on her body because she no longer trusted any room in the house.
Her fingers closed around it.
Victoria saw.
Rachel raised the drive.
"Watch this first."
Nathan froze.
Victoria went pale.
Exactly as Rachel would remember forever.
Nathan stared at the USB.
Then at Victoria.
Victoria moved first.
She lunged toward Rachel.
Nathan stepped between them.
"Stop."
Victoria stopped.
His voice was different now.
Not furious.
Cold.
"What is on it?"
Rachel struggled to sit up.
"Your dressing-room camera."
Victoria shook her head.
"There is no footage. The system was down."
Rachel looked at her.
"Not the system."
Victoria's face changed.
Rachel continued.
"The camera has internal emergency storage."
Nathan stared.
Victoria had not known.
Neither had Gregory Shaw.
Rachel had discovered it after the forensic technician explained that certain camera models retained short local buffers even when the network feed was disabled.
She had removed the memory module that afternoon.
The USB contained what Victoria believed she had erased.
Nathan picked up a nearby laptop.
His hands shook as he inserted the drive.
Victoria stepped backward.
Nathan opened the file.
The screen showed the dressing room.
Timestamped.
Clear.
Victoria entering through the service corridor.
Victoria holding the straightener.
Victoria threatening Rachel.
Victoria moving toward Elara.
Victoria touching the heated device to the baby's hand.
Rachel kicking it away.
Rachel rescuing Elara.
Victoria slapping Rachel.
Then Nathan entering.
Nathan stopped the video before his own kick.
His face collapsed.
Rachel watched realization strike him.
He looked at Victoria.
"You burned my daughter."
Victoria's lips parted.
"Nathan."
"You burned her."
"She was never supposed to be hurt."
Rachel almost laughed from disbelief.
Victoria heard herself.
Too late.
Nathan took one step backward.
Victoria's eyes moved toward the service corridor.
Rachel shouted, "Don't let her leave."
Victoria ran.
Nathan could not chase her while holding Elara.
Rachel could barely stand.
Victoria disappeared through the hidden door.
Seconds later security guards entered.
Nathan handed Elara to a paramedic who had been stationed on the estate since the threats began.
Then he looked at Rachel.
She saw horror in his face.
Not because of Victoria.
Because of what he had done.
"Rachel."
She raised one hand.
"Not now."
He stopped.
Police searched the property.
Victoria had escaped through the service corridor into an old maintenance tunnel leading toward the eastern gardens.
But she had left something behind.
Her handbag.
Inside were two passports.
Thirty thousand dollars.
A prepaid phone.
And a handwritten address.
Michael recognized it.
Robert Kensington's hunting property in West Virginia.
Nathan looked at Rachel.
"She's going to my father."
Rachel held an ice pack against her ribs.
"No."
Nathan frowned.
May you like
Rachel looked at the passports.
"She's going through him."
