Novels by Lucy

Elena didn’t reply to Marcus’s message. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her phone while her father’s letter lay open beside her. The brass key to locker 317 rested in her palm, its edges pressing into her skin. Marcus knew about the locker. That fact alone didn’t prove he had done anything wrong. He might have learned about it through another source. He might have been investigating Dr. Cross independently. There could be a reasonable explanation. But after everything Elena had discovered, she could no longer afford to accept explanations simply because they came from someone she trusted. Her phone rang. Marcus. She watched the screen until the call ended. A moment later, another message appeared. Elena, please answer. I know how this looks, but you need to hear me out before you make any decisions. She typed a reply. How do you know about locker 317? The response came almost immediately. Because your mother told me about it. Elena’s fingers went cold. When?

“Say something.” Elena stood over Dr. Cross, one hand pressed against his shoulder as she tried to determine whether he was still breathing. Her other hand gripped her phone, the emergency number already dialed. Adrian stood near the window, his face pale beneath the hospital lights that had just flickered back on. “Your father didn’t die in an accident. Adrian’s father ordered it, and Adrian has known the truth since the day he married you.” The doctor’s final words echoed through Elena’s mind. She looked at Adrian again. “Is it true?” He glanced at Dr. Cross, then back at her. “Elena, we need to get out of here.” “I’m not moving until you answer me.” “Someone attacked him. We don’t know whether they’re still in the building.” “Then call security. Call the police. Do whatever you need to do, but don’t you dare try to change the subject.” Adrian took a step toward her. She immediately moved away. That single movement seemed to hurt him more than anything she had said. “I

Elena stared at her mother’s signature until the letters blurred before her eyes. Catherine Hart had been dead for years, yet somehow, every answer Elena uncovered only created another question. Why would her mother authorize a withdrawal that might have endangered her life? Why had she hidden documents from the people closest to her? And why had Dr. Samuel Cross waited until now to reveal what he knew? Most importantly, if Catherine had signed the order herself, who had benefited from her death? “Elena.” Marcus’s voice brought her back to the present. She looked up. “You’ve been staring at that photograph for almost a minute. What does it say?” She handed him the phone. Marcus examined the image, and his expression hardened when he noticed the signature. “Where did you get this?” “Dr. Cross sent it. He says he knows who ordered my mother’s death.” Marcus looked at the screen again. “And he wants you to meet him alone?” “Yes. At St. Matthew’s Hospital, in the old private

“Elena, the third person was Mom’s doctor.” Ethan’s words cut through the darkness like a blade. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Elena stared at her younger brother, struggling to understand what he had just said. The image on the monitor showed their mother lying motionless in a hospital bed, Adrian standing beside her with a document in his hand. Richard Hale’s face appeared on the second screen, his expression calm and almost satisfied. “Your brother remembers more than he realizes,” Richard said. “That is why I brought him here. Not because I needed to frighten you, Elena, but because some memories are worth more than money.” Elena forced herself to look away from the monitor. “Who was her doctor?” Ethan swallowed. His hands were trembling, and the rope marks around his wrists were red and raw. “Dr. Samuel Cross.” Adrian’s expression changed. It was subtle, but Elena saw it. His shoulders stiffened, and his eyes moved toward the monitor as if he had just recognized a

Elena stared at the message on her phone. Bring Adrian Blackwood to the estate. Alone. If he arrives with the register, your brother lives. If he arrives without it, you’ll never see Ethan again. Her fingers tightened around the device. Someone wanted Adrian. Not the money. Not the documents. Not even the original beneficiary register. Adrian himself. She slowly raised her eyes to him. “What happened the night my mother died?” Adrian’s face went pale. “Elena, I already told you everything I remember.” “No. You told me you visited her because she wanted to speak to you. You told me someone else was in the room. But you never told me what happened after you left.” He stared at her. “Because I didn’t know what happened after I left.” “Did you touch her medical records?” “No.” “Did you sign anything?” Adrian hesitated. Elena noticed immediately. “What did you sign?” “Nothing related to her death.” “That isn’t what I asked.” He looked away. “Adrian, my brother is being

Elena watched the video again. Ethan’s bruised face filled her phone screen, his voice trembling as he delivered the words that had shattered everything she thought she knew about her family. Elena, I was there. The video ended, but she couldn’t stop staring at the screen. “What does he mean?” she whispered. Marcus had already started the car. He glanced at her, then back at the road. “We’ll find him.” “He said he was there when Mom died.” “I heard him.” “Ethan told me he was at home that night. He told me he never got to say goodbye because the hospital called too late.” Her voice broke. “He lied to me.” Marcus said nothing. Elena turned toward him, tears gathering in her eyes. “Why would my own brother lie about something like that?” “Because he was a child when your mother died. Whatever he saw, he might have been too frightened to talk about it.” “He’s not a child anymore.” “Fear doesn’t disappear just because someone grows older.” Elena looked down at the black d