Chapter 5: The Woman in the Hallway
For a moment, nobody moved.
Daniel stared at Celeste, who wore a dark coat and black gloves. Her hair was tucked beneath a scarf, and her face looked pale beneath the fluorescent lights.
She had disappeared from the estate less than an hour earlier.
Now she stood beside the woman who claimed to have treated Elena after the accident.
Michael stepped in front of his brother.
“Don't come any closer.””
Celeste's eyes moved to him.
“Michael, this has nothing to do with you.””
“You've spent six years stealing from my brother's family. I think it has everything to do with me.””
“I haven't stolen anything.””
Daniel held up Elena's letter.
“Then explain this.””
Celeste looked at the envelope.
For the first time, she seemed to forget to maintain her composure.
“Where did you find that?””
“In the storage unit you've been paying for under a dissolved company.””
She swallowed.
“That unit belongs to Daniel.””
“Then why did you keep it secret?””
“I was protecting him.””
Daniel almost laughed.
The sound that escaped him was bitter and unfamiliar.
“Protecting me? You made my daughter eat from a dog bowl. You threatened the woman who raised her. You lied about Elena's belongings, and now you appear in a storage facility with a doctor who claims my first wife is alive.””
Celeste looked at Evelyn.
The doctor stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her expression tense.
Daniel turned toward her.
“Dr. Hart, are you working with Celeste?””
“No.””
Celeste gave a short laugh.
“Of course she says that.””
Evelyn looked directly at Daniel.
“I came here because I received a message telling me you would be at this facility.””
“From whom?””
“An anonymous number. The message included a photograph of your daughter.””
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
“Show me.””
Evelyn took out her phone and handed it to him.
The photograph showed Amara sitting at the kitchen island, drinking milk.
It had been taken through the kitchen window.
Daniel recognized the night-light reflected in the glass. The picture could only have been taken minutes earlier.
Someone had been watching his daughter.
Beneath the photograph was a message.
If you tell Daniel where Elena is, the child will pay for it.
Daniel's hands curled around the phone.
“Who sent this?””
“I don't know. The number was unregistered.””
Celeste stepped forward.
“Daniel, please. You need to listen to me.””
He turned on her.
“Stop saying that.””
“I'm trying to keep you from making a terrible mistake.””
“You've had six years to explain yourself.””
“Because you wouldn't have understood!””
“Then explain it now.””
Celeste looked toward the boxes.
Her expression changed.
She was no longer the elegant woman who could control a room with a glance. She looked frightened, exhausted, and angry that the people around her had stopped following her instructions.
“Elena was unstable,” she said.
“She was convinced someone was taking money from her. She accused me of forging documents, even though I was the only person helping her manage her affairs.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“That's not what happened.””
Celeste snapped toward her.
“You have no idea what happened outside the hospital.””
“I was there.””
“You were a junior doctor.””
“I was the doctor assigned to her emergency admission.””
“And you made a mistake.””
Evelyn's face went white.
Daniel moved between them.
“What mistake?””
Evelyn looked at him.
“Mr. Oleso, I need to explain this somewhere safe. But I need you to understand that I cannot verify everything Elena told me until we recover her complete medical file.””
“Did you treat her after the accident?””
“Yes.””
“Was she alive?””
“Yes.””
Daniel gripped the edge of the desk.
“Did she recover?””
Evelyn hesitated.
“Physically, she survived the initial injuries. She was unconscious for several days. When she woke, she was frightened and confused.””
“Where was she taken?””
“That's the part I need to explain carefully.””
Celeste laughed.
“Because she doesn't know.””
Evelyn ignored her.
“The hospital received an authorization for Elena to be transferred to a private neurological facility. The paperwork appeared to be signed by a legal representative. I was told that the family had approved the transfer.””
“Who signed it?””
“The signature was in your name.””
Daniel stared at her.
“I never signed anything.””
“I know that now.””
“How?””
“Because I later reviewed the records and discovered that the authorization had been processed before the hospital had even confirmed your identity.””
Michael stepped closer.
“Who arranged the transfer?””
Evelyn looked at Celeste.
“I believe the person who brought the paperwork to the hospital was Celeste.””
Daniel turned.
Celeste's expression hardened.
“This is ridiculous.””
“Were you at the hospital that night?”” Daniel asked.
“I visited Elena after the accident.””
“You told me you weren't there.””
“I didn't want to upset you.””
“You told me the police had called you after the accident. You said you learned about it from me.””
Celeste's lips parted.
Then she looked away.
Michael shook his head.
“You've been lying about this from the beginning.””
Celeste's voice rose.
“I was trying to keep this family together!””
“By hiding a living woman from her husband?”” Daniel demanded.
“I didn't hide her!””
Evelyn stepped forward.
“You arranged the transfer.””
“I arranged medical care.””
“You took her away before her family could see her.””
“She was in no condition to see anyone!””
“Then why did the facility refuse to disclose her location?””
Celeste said nothing.
Daniel watched her carefully.
He had spent years believing he understood her. He knew how she liked her coffee, how she arranged flowers, how she reacted when a dinner party didn't go according to plan.
He had mistaken familiarity for knowledge.
Now he was looking at a woman who had built an entire life around secrets.
“Where is Elena?”” he asked.
Celeste's eyes filled with tears.
For a brief moment, Daniel thought she might finally answer.
Then she whispered, “She's dead.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.””
Celeste turned toward her.
“You don't know that!””
“I spoke to her.””
“When?””
“Six months ago.””
Daniel felt the room spin.
“You saw her six months ago?””
Evelyn nodded.
“Not in person. I received a letter from a woman using the name Anna Mercer. She included details from Elena's medical records that only Elena could have known.””
“Where did the letter come from?””
“A private mailbox. I traced it to a small town outside the city, but by the time I arrived, the address had been abandoned.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I didn't know whether you were involved.””
Daniel stared at her.
“What?””
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
“The transfer authorization was in your name. Someone had access to your financial accounts. Your wife was involved, and I had no way to know whether you knew what was happening.””
Daniel looked away.
He could hardly blame her.
He had been absent, distracted, and eager to believe that everything was under control.
He had left a door open, and someone had walked through it.
Michael began examining the boxes.
“Daniel, we need to preserve everything here.””
He pulled a folder from the desk.
Inside were copies of insurance documents, bank statements, and several medical forms.
One document listed a private facility called Ashcombe House.
Another bore a handwritten note.
Transfer approved. No visitors until further notice.
The signature at the bottom looked like Daniel's.
But he knew it wasn't.
He had never signed the document.
He held it toward Evelyn.
“Is this the authorization?””
She examined it.
“Yes. That's the form I saw in the hospital file.””
“Who witnessed it?””
Evelyn pointed to a name.
“Dr. Samuel Voss.””
Michael frowned.
“I know that name. He's a consultant who used to work with the hospital's private wing.””
“Can you contact him?”” Daniel asked.
“I'll try.””
Celeste suddenly moved toward the folder.
Daniel caught her arm.
“Don't touch anything.””
She pulled away.
“You don't understand what you're doing!””
“Then help me understand.””
Celeste looked at the photograph of Elena on the wall.
Her eyes lingered on it for a long time.
Then she spoke, so quietly that Daniel almost didn't hear her.
“Elena wasn't supposed to survive.””
The words fell into the room like a dropped glass.
Evelyn went still.
Michael stopped moving.
Daniel stared at his wife.
“What did you say?””
Celeste's face crumpled.
“I didn't mean—”
“You said Elena wasn't supposed to survive.””
“I meant the injuries were severe. The doctors didn't think she would recover.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“That isn't what you said.””
Celeste turned on her.
“Shut up!””
Her voice cracked against the concrete walls.
Daniel had never seen her look so desperate.
He took a step toward her.
“Celeste, did you know Elena was alive when you told me she was dead?””
Celeste covered her face.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she lowered her hands.
“Yes.””
Daniel felt something inside him go cold.
“How long?””
“I didn't know at first.””
“How long?””
She looked at the floor.
“Three weeks.””
Michael whispered a curse.
Daniel could barely force the next question through his throat.
“You let me bury an empty coffin?””
Celeste began to cry.
“I didn't have a choice.””
“You always have a choice!””
“She was going to destroy everything!””
“What was she going to destroy?””
Celeste looked at him.
Her tears stopped.
“The trust,” she said.
“The company. The life we'd built.””
Daniel stared at her.
“You mean the money you were stealing?””
“I was not stealing!””
“You forged my signature!””
“I was keeping the business alive!””
Evelyn stepped back.
“This is a criminal matter. We need to stop talking and contact the police.””
Celeste's expression sharpened.
“No.””
She reached into her coat.
Michael lunged toward her, but Celeste pulled out a phone and held it up.
On the screen was another photograph of Amara.
This time, the child was standing beside her bedroom window.
A shadow was visible outside.
Daniel's blood turned to ice.
“Who took that picture?””
Celeste's eyes were wild.
“You think I'm the only person involved? You think I'm the one who has been watching this family?””
Daniel stared at the screen.
“Tell me who is outside my house.””
“I don't know.””
“Then why do you have that photograph?””
“Because someone sent it to me!””
Evelyn moved toward the door.
“We need to get back to the estate.””
Daniel was already calling the security office.
No answer.
He called Ana.
The phone rang once, twice, three times.
Then the call connected.
“Mr. Oleso?””
Ana sounded breathless.
“Where are you?””
“I'm with Amara. We're upstairs.””
“Is everything all right?””
There was a pause.
Then Ana whispered, “Someone is outside the house.””
Daniel's grip tightened around the phone.
“Lock the bedroom door. Stay away from the windows. I'm coming home.””
“Sir, I think it's—”
A loud crash sounded through the phone.
May you like
Ana screamed.
Then the line went dead.
