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Chapter 9: The Trap

last update publish date: 2026-11-11 20:31:29

The next two days passed in a blur of careful, calculated activity. Victoria worked silently in her glass box of an office, compiling evidence, cross-referencing financial records, and waiting for Chloe to deliver on her promise.

She didn't sleep much. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Marcus's face in the boardroom, the flicker of recognition, the dawning horror. She saw the river, black and cold, closing over her head. She woke each morning with her heart pounding and her sheets tangled
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  • The Wife He Buried Alive   Chapter 9: The Trap

    The next two days passed in a blur of careful, calculated activity. Victoria worked silently in her glass box of an office, compiling evidence, cross-referencing financial records, and waiting for Chloe to deliver on her promise.She didn't sleep much. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Marcus's face in the boardroom, the flicker of recognition, the dawning horror. She saw the river, black and cold, closing over her head. She woke each morning with her heart pounding and her sheets tangled around her legs, the taste of river water still phantom-sharp on her tongue.But she didn't let it slow her down. She couldn't afford to.On Tuesday morning, a plain white envelope appeared under Victoria's office door, slid through the gap while she was in a meeting. Inside was a single sheet of paper with a series of numbers and letters written in Chloe's neat, looping handwriting—Marcus's server credentials.Victoria felt a surge of cold triumph. She had him.But she knew better than to act

  • The Wife He Buried Alive   Chapter 8: The Weak Link

    Monday morning arrived with a deceptive calm. The sun was shining, the city hummed with its usual relentless energy, and the employees of Hayes Global went about their business as if the world wasn't about to implode.Victoria walked through the glass doors at precisely eight o'clock, her heels clicking a steady, confident rhythm on the marble floor. She wore a tailored charcoal suit, her black bob sleek and severe. She was ready for battle.She didn't go to her office. Instead, she made her way to the marketing department, a sprawling floor of open-plan desks and glass-walled meeting rooms. Chloe's office was at the far end, a corner suite with a view of the park.Victoria knocked once and entered without waiting for a response.Chloe was seated behind her desk, her face pale and drawn. She hadn't slept. The dark circles under her eyes and the slight tremor in her hands gave her away. She was wearing the same pearl necklace, a detail Victoria noted with cold satisfaction."Ms. Vance,

  • The Wife He Buried Alive   Chapter 7: The Sanctuary

    Victoria didn't go home. Instead, she drove north, away from the city, toward the only place where she had ever felt truly safe.It was a small, secluded cabin tucked away in the woods, miles from the nearest town. She had bought it under her new identity a year ago, using it as a retreat whenever the memories became too much. It was a place where she could be Victoria again, even if only for a few hours.She unlocked the door, the familiar scent of pine and old wood filling her senses. She lit a fire, poured herself a glass of wine, and sank into the worn leather armchair by the hearth.The flames danced in the fireplace, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Victoria stared into the fire, her mind drifting back to the night that had changed everything.She remembered the cold. The suffocating darkness. The feeling of water filling her lungs. She remembered the desperate struggle to unbuckle her seatbelt, the blind panic as she fought her way to the surface. She remembered draggin

  • The Wife He Buried Alive   Chapter 6: The Loose Thread

    Saturday morning arrived with a grey, oppressive sky that matched Victoria’s mood. She sat in her sparse apartment, a single cup of black coffee cooling on the glass table in front of her, her laptop open. On the screen was a secure chat window with Jax.“Marcus hired a P.I. Firm called Blackwood & Associates. They’re good. Ex-military, ex-feds. They’re already requesting background checks on Elara Vance from all previous employers. Your fabricated references are going to get hit hard.”Victoria typed back. “How long do I have before they find a crack?”“A week, maybe two. The digital paper trail is solid, but Blackwood is known for doing things the old-fashioned way. In-person interviews. They’ll find the gaps. What’s the plan?”Victoria leaned back, her mind racing. She had always known this moment would come. The Elara Vance identity was a fortress, but every fortress had a weakness. The key was to make sure that by the time Marcus’s investigators found that weakness, she had alrea

  • The Wife He Buried Alive   Chapter 5: The Game is Afoot

    Victoria’s first week at Hayes Global was a masterclass in psychological warfare.She didn't confront Marcus again. She didn't need to. Instead, she spent her days auditing their systems, requesting seemingly innocuous files, and asking questions that made department heads sweat. She was a phantom in the hallways—polite, brilliant, and utterly terrifying. She learned the rhythms of the office, the weaknesses of the executives, and the cracks in the fortress Marcus had built.On Friday evening, she stayed late, working in a glass box of an office on the executive floor. The building was mostly empty, the distant hum of the cleaning crew the only other sign of life. She knew Marcus was still here; his office lights were on at the end of the hall, a silent challenge burning in the darkness.She heard the click of high heels on the marble floor before she saw her.Chloe appeared in her doorway, holding a thick file. She looked flawless, a living embodiment of the life she had stolen. Her

  • The Wife He Buried Alive   Chapter 4: The Nightmare

    Across the city, in the sprawling penthouse he had once shared with Victoria, Marcus Hayes was pouring his third glass of scotch. He didn't bother with ice. He drank it neat, letting the burn in his throat distract him from the burning in his mind.He paced the length of his study, the leather of his expensive shoes sinking into the plush carpet. The room was a masterpiece of modern design, cold and immaculate, a testament to the life he had built.“It’s a name I chose for myself. I find it suits me far better than my old one ever did.”Elara Vance’s voice echoed in his head, haunting him. The tone. The cadence. The absolute, unyielding confidence. It was impossible. Victoria was dead. He had seen the medical reports, the DNA results pulled from the wreckage of her car. He had paid to make sure she was dead.But the woman in the boardroom... the way she tilted her head when she challenged him. The way her eyes, though a different color, held the exact same sharp, piercing intelligence

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