Chapter 12 - THE TRAP CLOSES

By mid-morning, the news came. They had found Julian’s boat. Abandoned on the far shore. No sign of him. Footprints leading into the dense, protected forest that bordered the estate—land that stretched for miles, full of caves, old hunting cabins, and places even the locals rarely visited.

Adrian handed Emma into my care with a desperate, tight grip on my shoulders.

“I must go with the search party,” he said, his face set like stone. “I have to be there when they find him. I have to look him in the eye and hear him admit it. One last time.”

“Be careful,” I told him. “He is desperate. Desperate men do reckless things.”

“I am not afraid of him,” Adrian said. “I am only afraid of what he might still try to do to the people I love.”

He kissed Emma’s forehead, then mine—brief, fierce, grateful—and strode out to join the men gathering at the gate.

Hours passed. I stayed in the master suite with Emma, doors locked, alarms set, security posted directly outside. I read Elena’s journal again, every word, memorizing every fear, every hope, every quiet act of courage.

Then I reached the final page. The one I had barely glanced at before.

Written in the faintest possible pencil, almost invisible beneath the ink, were three more sentences. Added as an afterthought. A whisper.

*“If I am gone… beware the date. October 14th. It is not just my birthday. It is the day everything changes. On that day… the truth comes out.”*

My blood ran cold.

October 14th.

I checked the date on my phone.

Today was October 12th.

Two days.

I stood up so fast the chair scraped loudly across the floor. What happened on October 14th? What truth had Elena meant? Why had Julian told us exactly where to find the journal? Why lead us here unless he wanted us to read it? Unless he wanted us to know… exactly how little time we had left.

My phone rang. An unknown number.

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I answered it. My hand was shaking so hard I nearly dropped it.

“Hello, Clara,” Julian’s voice came down the line. Calm. Relaxed. Completely unhurried. “Did you enjoy the journal? Elena always did have such lovely handwriting.”