Did you kill her?

"What do you mean you haven't found her?" he demanded, standing and pacing toward his assistant, who kept his head bowed to avoid his angry stare.

"I'm so sorry, sir. "She collapsed at a subway station two weeks ago," Chris said. "The hospital confirmed her three weeks pregnant."

He hesitated before adding, "Since she left... no one’s seen her. She’s missed every appointment."

"If it's been two weeks since she was confirmed three weeks pregnant, that's a total of five weeks now, right?" he asked, looming over him and looking more intimidating than ever.

"Yes, sir, which means the baby she's carrying is likely to be yours," the assistant answered.

"Likely? No, Chris — I'm very sure the baby is mine. That explains why she's been off the grid; she must know I'm searching for her, which is why she's hiding. You must find her, Chris. There's no way I'm letting my child bear another man's name," he said, placing his hands on Chris's shoulders.

He placed his hand on Chris' shoulder. "You find her. Don't think my grandfather will save you from me if you don't do your job properly."

He released Chris's shoulders and returned to his seat to light a cigarette.

"Yes, sir. I'll do my best. I won't stop until I find her," Chris affirmed, turning to leave the office. On his way out, a thought crossed his mind.

Did Jimmie Hendrix have a soft spot? Why did he want to find this woman so badly? Was it only because of the baby? When had he ever cared about children?

Finding out would only give me a headache. Back to work.

---

"Are you sure it wasn't you and Sophie who set her up with the man at the hotel?" Ethan's mother asked, her tone stern as she looked at him.

"What? Mom, what are you talking about? Why would I..." he began, but his mother cut him off.

"Oh, please. You can't fool me. I know you and Sophie have been going out, before and after you married Samantha." Ethan couldn't form a reply; he hadn't thought anyone would know about his affair with Sophie.

"Mum... I..." he started.

She leaned closer on the chair they shared and placed her hand on his. "Don't worry, my son. I won't tell anyone about it. It's not like I have anyone to tell. I'm actually in support of this relationship. You made a smart choice dating your boss's daughter. Is this a strategy to climb the ladder, or do you love her?" she asked, beaming at him.

"Mum, how did you find out about Sophie and me? We were careful," he asked, still confused.

"Sammy told me," she said plainly, as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb that could ruin Sam's friendship with Sophie and their marriage.

"WHAT? Sammy knew about us? Then why didn't she say anything... how?" Ethan's face went pale with horror as he searched his mother's eyes for answers.

"Of course she didn't know. She once told me you were always working late — wanted Sophie to talk to you about it," her mother said, smiling thinly.

"So I hired someone. They brought pictures. You. Sophie. Everywhere. She sipped her coffee.

"But why do you look so scared? You don't still consider Sammy your wife, do you? If you do, you'd better stop now because I won't let you continue a marriage with that cheating woman. And even if she finds out about your affair, what can she do about it?" she added.

"Wow, mum. You are amazing. But where did you get the money to hire someone to do all this? As far as I remember, we don't even have a penny in our names — we've been living on my salary," he asked suspiciously.

“I started an events company — legitimate clients, real money. I'll be sending you the divorce papers next week,sign and return them." she said with a sinister smile.

"Mum, you look scary when you say things like that," Ethan said, moving a little away from her on the chair.

"Whatever. Continue whatever it is you're doing with Sophie; that might be our only way to become wealthy. You can even get her pregnant while at it to make sure she can't escape your grasp. How dare that slut, Sammy — how dare she cheat on my son and bring the baby to my house. I'll take care of her. You have nothing to worry about," she said, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Where is she anyway? You asked me to drop her off two weeks ago and she never came back home. I've been here over two hours and haven't seen a trace of her," Ethan asked, more curious than concerned.

"You don't need to worry about that. I told you I'll take care of her," his mother replied, still unwilling to reveal Samantha's whereabouts. Ethan shivered.

"Umm... mum... you didn't kill her, did you?" he asked, glancing around as if someone might overhear them. "I mean, I don't mind if you do, but be discreet. If you get caught, I won't be visiting you in jail," he added.

A faint creak echoed from below, so soft it could’ve been the house settling — or a whisper.

Beneath their feet, behind a steel door and layers of lies, Samantha murmured Ethan’s name — but only the walls answered.