6

Elena

I sat on the edge of the mattress, my heart thumping against my ribs. My thumb hovered over Adrian’s name before I finally pressed call.

The line began to ring.

1... 2... 3...

My breath hitched. How could it be ringing? In my past life, my mother-in-law had sworn through her fake tears that Adrian’s phone had been incinerated in the fatal fiery crash. I had believed her without question. I hadn’t even been allowed to attend his closed-casket funeral.

And then I heard it.

The faint, muffled chime of Adrian’s custom ringtone was echoing from down the hallway—inside this very house.

I rose slowly from the bed, my pulse roaring in my ears, and crept into the dark corridor with my phone still on speaker.

I followed the muffled sound toward the private study at the far end of the wing. As I neared the cracked door, I quickly ended the call, slipped my phone onto total silence, and pressed my back against the wall in the shadowy alcove.

I tapped the screen, opening the voice recorder app to capture every single word.

Through the crack in the door, I saw all of them gathered around the mahogany desk—my mother-in-law, my father-in-law, Lucas, Vivian... and standing right in the center, perfectly healthy and holding a glass of scotch, was my supposed dead husband.

“Who the hell was calling you this late?” Vivian demanded, her arms crossed over her delicate black lace dress, as she glared at Adrian.

Adrian glanced down at his phone screen, his handsome face twisting into a disgustingly bitter sneer. “That bitch.”

Vivian gasped, her eyes flashing. “You mean your ex-wife?”

“Yes,” Adrian scoffed, tossing the phone onto the desk. “I have no idea why she’s calling my number.”

“Does she suspect something?” Vivian asked, nervously glancing toward the door.

“Never,” Adrian boasted with sickening confidence. “Elena is far too stupid to suspect a thing. The girl worships the ground I walk on.”

“Sister-in-law,” Lucas chimed in, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. Sister-in-law! The very scumbag who had held my hands and comforted me in the foyer hours ago was now smirking at his brother. “She’s probably just in shock, calling his phone, hoping it’s all a bad dream. You don’t know how gullible she is, Vivian.”

“Elena has always been a simple, naïve fool,” my father-in-law interjected, chuckling darkly. “We’ve been manipulating her for years. Look at this magnificent estate—that fool owns it, but now it’s officially registered in my son’s name.”

“Don’t stress yourself, my darling,” my mother-in-law cooed, gently rubbing Vivian’s back. “Remember, you’re carrying my precious grandchild.”

My jaw clenched so hard my teeth hurt. My entire body shook with a cold, terrifying fury. I held my breath, forcing my hands to stay steady as I recorded their words.

“I suppose so,” Vivian purred, stepping up to Adrian and resting her hand on his chest. “So what’s the rest of the plan? Now that your wife thinks you’re dead, how are we securing the money? I still don’t fully get how the loan works.”

Adrian wrapped his arm around Vivian’s waist, pulling her tight against his hip. I watched in stomach-turning horror as he buried his face in her neck, pressing a wet kiss against her collarbone.

“To her, I’m dead,” Adrian whispered against Vivian’s skin. “To you, I’m the start of our new life. We will build our empire on her sweat and tears. The multi-million-dollar loan I secured from Mr. Kane using Elena’s identity? She will be the one working three jobs to pay it back while we live like royalty.”

“Aww,” Vivian giggled softly. “And how exactly are you going to force her to pay it?”

“We’ve already set the trap,” my mother-in-law smiled, taking Vivian’s hand. “You’ll see tomorrow. When I faked my kidney failure, that idiot didn’t hesitate for a second—she sold off another property her late father left her, just to pay for my ‘treatments.’”

The sheer evil of their voices sent a violent shudder through my frame. As I instinctively backed away from the door, my slippers caught the edge of a bronze pedestal, sending a heavy ceramic flower vase crashing to the floor.

CRASH!

“Who’s there?!” Adrian’s harsh voice barked.

Panic surged through me. I kicked off my slippers, snatched them up in my hand, and sprinted silently down the hallway on tiptoes, diving into my bedroom and pulling the heavy duvet over my head just as the study door burst open.

I closed my eyes, forcing my chest to rise and fall in a slow, steady rhythm, pretending to be fast asleep.

Seconds later, my bedroom door clicked open. Quiet footsteps approached the bed.

The scent of warm vanilla and fresh tobacco filled my senses. Lucas.

My pulse roared in my ears, every nerve ending in my body screaming in terror. In my past life, this was the monster who had drugged my milk and violated me while I slept. I dared not open my eyes, holding my breath as he leaned over my sleeping form.

“Elena?” Lucas whispered softly, reaching out to stroke a stray strand of hair from my forehead. “Are you awake?”

He was testing me. If I flinched, if I showed even a second of awareness, I wouldn’t survive the night. I remained completely limp, letting my breath escape in a soft, heavy sigh.

“Come on, Lucas,” Vivian’s voice called quietly from the doorway. “It was just the stupid cat. Mother saw it run into the lounge.”

“Ah,” Lucas murmured, pulling his hand back. “Right. Elena’s cat.”

The door finally clicked shut, and the lock turned. Yet, I lay frozen in the dark for a full hour, not daring to open my eyes until I was certain I was truly alone.