The Woman in the Shadows

Chapter 8

The clock on Daniel Bennett’s office wall showed 7:15 p.m.

He stared at his phone, reading the anonymous message for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Tomorrow. 8 p.m. Come alone if you want to know what Victoria Bennett did.”

The message had arrived the previous night, and since then, his mind had been filled with questions.

What exactly had his mother done?

And why was someone so determined to expose her?

Daniel slipped his phone into his pocket and reached for his car keys.

A soft knock came from the office door.

“Daniel?”

Maya stood there.

He hadn’t expected to see her.

“Is everything okay?”

She folded her arms. “I could ask you the same question. You’ve been acting strangely all evening.”

Daniel looked away.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

He almost smiled.

For a moment, he remembered the woman who used to read his expressions without him saying a word.

“I have somewhere to be,” he finally admitted.

Maya’s face changed.

“You’re going to that meeting, aren’t you?”

Daniel didn’t answer.

“Daniel, we talked about this.”

“I know, Maya. But I can’t keep ignoring someone who claims to know the truth about our separation.”

She stepped closer.

“What if the person is trying to hurt you?”

“Then I’ll deal with it.”

Maya shook her head.

“Must you always act like you can handle everything alone?”

Daniel looked directly at her.

“I learned that from losing you.”

The words hung between them.

Maya opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Daniel picked up his jacket.

“I’ll be back soon.”

She watched him leave, her heart heavy with a fear she couldn’t explain.

At exactly eight o’clock, Daniel arrived at an old restaurant on the outskirts of the city.

It was almost empty.

He chose a table near the window and waited.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Just as he was about to leave, a woman dressed in a black coat entered.

She looked around before approaching him.

“Mr Bennett?”

Daniel stood.

“Who are you?”

The woman sat down without answering.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

Daniel frowned.

“You’re the one who asked me to meet you.”

“I know. But I needed to be certain you were serious about finding out what happened.”

“Stop playing games. What did my mother do?”

The woman glanced towards the restaurant entrance.

“Six years ago, Maya didn’t leave you because she stopped loving you.”

Daniel froze.

“What?”

“She was made to believe you wanted nothing to do with her. And you were made to believe she had chosen to walk away.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened.

“Who did that?”

The woman opened her handbag and removed a small envelope.

“Your mother.”

Daniel stared at the envelope.

“That’s impossible.”

“Then read what’s inside.”

He took it with trembling fingers.

Inside were two printed messages.

One appeared to be from Maya, telling Daniel she never wanted to see him again.

The other appeared to be from Daniel, telling Maya that their relationship had been a mistake.

Daniel studied the dates.

They were from the same week they had separated.

“I never sent this,” he whispered.

“Neither did Maya.”

His breathing became uneven.

“How did you get these?”

The woman leaned closer.

“Because I worked for your mother at the time. I helped deliver the messages.”

Daniel felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.

“You helped her destroy our relationship?”

The woman’s eyes filled with regret.

“I was young, and I was afraid of losing my job. I told myself I was only following instructions.”

“Who instructed you?”

The woman hesitated.

“Victoria.”

Daniel stood abruptly.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I recently discovered that she has been keeping something else from you.”

Before Daniel could ask another question, the woman rose from her chair.

“Be careful, Mr Bennett. Your mother is not the only person who knows what happened.”

She walked towards the exit.

“Wait!” Daniel called.

But she didn’t stop.

Back at the mansion, Maya sat beside Lia’s bed.

Her daughter was asleep, holding a small teddy bear Daniel had bought for her earlier that afternoon.

Maya smiled at the sight.

Then her phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

She opened the message.

“If you want to protect your daughter, stop asking questions about the past.”

Her smile disappeared.

A second message arrived.

“You already lost Daniel once. Don’t make the mistake of losing Lia too.”

Maya’s hands began to shake.

She immediately looked towards the bedroom door.

Whoever had sent the messages knew about Lia.

And that frightened her more than anything else.

Daniel returned to the mansion shortly before ten.

He found Maya standing in the hallway, waiting for him.

“What happened?” she asked.

He looked at her, his expression unreadable.

“I found someone who helped my mother separate us.”

Maya’s eyes widened.

“Who?”

“Someone who worked for her six years ago. She gave me copies of the messages.”

Maya slowly covered her mouth.

“Daniel…”

He stepped closer.

“I never sent those messages, Maya. I never told you I didn’t love you.”

Tears gathered in her eyes.

“Neither did I.”

For a moment, they simply stared at each other.

Six years of pain. Six years of believing they had been rejected.

And now, the truth was beginning to surface.

Daniel gently reached for her hand.

“Someone lied to both of us.”

Maya nodded, unable to speak.

Then she remembered the messages on her phone.

“Daniel, there’s something you need to see.”

She handed him her phone.

He read the two messages, and his expression darkened.

“Who sent these?”

“I don’t know.”

Daniel looked towards the staircase.

His mother had been in the house all evening.

And suddenly, he wasn’t sure who he could trust.

From the upper landing, Victoria watched them.

Her fingers tightened around the railing.

She knew the past was catching up with her.

But she wasn’t ready to let it destroy her.

Not yet.