Chapter 12 - THE CHOICE
I stared at the name.
Vanessa.
The woman who had tried to frame Clara. The woman who had lied to my face. The woman who had threatened Lily.
Elena had written: Find Vanessa.
“Why Vanessa?” Clara whispered, reading over my shoulder. “She works for Julian. She came here to destroy us.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But Elena believed Vanessa was the key. Which means Vanessa is not as loyal to Julian as she pretends to be.”
I thought back to everything that had happened. Vanessa had been sent to find the locket. To search Elena’s things. To prepare the way. But she had also sent me the photograph. She had warned me. She had said: You don’t know everything about your precious wife.
She had been trying to tell me something. In her own twisted, dangerous way.
“Julian sent Vanessa to us,” I said. “But Elena knew Vanessa. She knew her better than Julian did. And she believed Vanessa could be turned.”
“Or she will betray you,” Clara said. “Like Elias did.”
I looked at Lily. Sleeping peacefully, unaware that the most dangerous people in the world were hunting her.
“We have no choice,” I said. “Elias betrayed us. The original ledger is gone. If we run… Julian wins. If we hide… he will find us eventually. Elena left us one path. I have to take it.”
“And if Vanessa refuses to help?”
“Then I offer her something Julian never gave her,” I said. “Freedom. And protection. From him.”
I found Vanessa’s number. I stood in the hotel bathroom with the door closed. I pressed call.
She answered on the third ring.
“Changed your mind again?” she said. Her voice was sharp. Defensive.
“Julian betrayed you,” I said. “He is using you. And he will throw you away the moment he no longer needs you.”
Silence.
“Who told you to say that?” Vanessa asked carefully.
“Elena,” I said. “Before she died. She knew. She knew Julian was using you. She knew you were trapped. And she left me a message for you.”
Vanessa breathed in sharply.
“What message?”
“Come to me,” I said. “Alone. Now. And I will tell you everything. But if you call Julian… if you bring anyone… you will never hear what Elena left for you. And you will never escape him.”
Silence stretched. Long and tense.
“Where?” she said.
I gave her the address of a public place nearby. A busy café. Open all night. Crowded. No one could be taken there without witnesses.
“Come alone,” I said again. “And Vanessa… this is your only chance. Julian is going to sacrifice you. Elena knew it. And now I know it too.”
I hung up before she could answer.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Clara was standing in the doorway. She looked at me with fear in her eyes.
“Adrian… if this goes wrong…”
“It will go wrong if we do nothing,” I said. “Stay here with Lily. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone but me. If I am not back in an hour… take Lily and run. Do not look back.”
I kissed Lily’s forehead. I checked the locket was still safely beneath her shirt. And then I walked out into the night.
I arrived at the café twenty minutes early. I sat where I could see the door. I watched every car that passed. Every person who walked in.
At exactly midnight, Vanessa walked in.
She wore dark clothes. She looked tired. Her eyes were red-rimmed. She walked to my table and sat down across from me. She did not smile. She did not pretend to be anything but what she was.
“You have five minutes,” she said. “Then I leave.”
“Julian is going to frame you for Elena’s death,” I said quietly. “And for everything else. When the time comes… he will hand you over to the police. To save himself.”
Vanessa flinched. Just slightly.
“Elena told me,” I continued. “Before she died. She told me Julian planned it. He planned to use you. And then he planned to destroy you. Because you know too much. Because you are a liability.”
Vanessa stared at me. Her expression shifted. From anger to fear.
“Why would Elena tell you that?”
“Because she cared about you,” I said. “Because she knew you were trapped. Because she knew you didn’t have a choice.”
Vanessa looked down at her hands. She was trembling.
“I didn’t want to do it,” she whispered. “Everything he told me to do… lie… pretend… frame Clara… threaten Lily… I hated every second of it. But Julian… he has my sister. He is holding her. If I disobey… he will hurt her.”
My heart tightened.
“Your sister?”
“He took her six months ago,” Vanessa said, her voice breaking. “He said… do exactly as I tell you… or she dies. I had no choice. I came to your house. I lied. I tried to take the locket. All to keep her alive.”
I leaned forward.
“Vanessa… Elena knew. She knew Julian was holding your sister. She wrote it down. And she left instructions. If you helped us… if you told the truth… we would protect her. We would get your sister back.”
Vanessa looked up, tears spilling over.
“She left instructions… for me?”
“She did,” I said. “She believed you could be saved. She believed you were not the enemy.”
Vanessa covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders shook.
“I hate him,” she sobbed. “I hate Julian. I hate Marcus. I hate everything they made me do.”
“Then help us,” I said. “Help us expose them. Help us get your sister back. Help us give Elena justice.”
Vanessa lowered her hands. She wiped her face. And when she looked at me… her eyes were hard. Determined.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“Everything,” I said. “Every name. Every date. Every crime Julian and Marcus ever told you about. Every secret. Every plan. And where they are keeping your sister.”
Vanessa took a deep breath.
“Julian keeps her at the safe house. On the river. Outside the city. He thinks no one knows. But I do. And I know everything. I heard them talking. I saw the files. I know where Julian hides his backup copies. I know where he keeps his real records.”
She leaned closer across the table.
“I will give you everything. Every piece of evidence. Every confession. Every secret. But you have to promise me one thing.”
May you like
“Anything,” I said.
“Get my sister out alive,” Vanessa whispered. “And make sure Julian Vance burns for what he has done.”
