Chapter 6
The detectives collected the wedding photographs the next morning.
Camille also provided the original files with their timestamps.
Detective Harris studied the image of Marcus and Vanessa.
“Do you know what was inside the envelope?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Did you see it at any point?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“We'll compare it with the documents already recovered.”
I stared at the photograph.
Marcus's hand rested against Vanessa's stomach.
He looked relaxed.
Almost happy.
I had never seen him look at me that way during our engagement.
The realization hurt more than I expected.
I had survived an attempt on my life.
I had learned that my husband might have forged my signature and tried to take control of my assets.
And still, the image of him smiling at another woman broke something inside me.
Evelyn noticed.
“You don't have to pretend this doesn't hurt.”
I wiped my eyes.
“I loved him.”
“I know.”
“I planned a future with him.”
She nodded.
“I know that too.”
I looked at the photograph again.
“Was any of it real?”
Evelyn didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, “Whatever he felt, he chose to hurt you. That's the part you can trust.”
I sat quietly for a long time.
Later that afternoon, Harold called with another update.
He had identified several attempted payments from accounts connected to the estate.
The requests had not been completed, but they appeared to involve Vanessa's company.
He had also discovered that Marcus had tried to change contact information on certain accounts so that correspondence would be sent to an address I didn't recognize.
I felt sick.
“He was preparing everything.”
Harold's voice was steady.
“We're preserving the records and making sure no unauthorized changes go through.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter.
“Thank you.”
“You don't need to thank me for protecting the arrangements your mother put in place.”
My throat tightened.
“My mother knew people might try to take advantage of me.”
“She wanted you to have independence,” Harold said. “Not to live in fear.”
After the call, I went outside.
Evelyn's garden was small but peaceful.
My mother had loved gardening.
She used to tell me that plants didn't grow because someone shouted at them.
They grew because someone gave them light, water, and patience.
I sat on a bench and tried to remember what it felt like to be safe.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.
Another unknown number.
This time, the message was longer.
Marcus told Vanessa the car would be recovered after the ceremony. She thought Nia would be gone before anyone asked questions.
I stared at the screen.
The message was written about me in the third person.
That felt strange.
Then another message appeared.
There is a storage unit under Vanessa's company name. The documents are there.
I immediately sent screenshots to Detective Harris.
She asked me not to investigate the storage unit myself.
I agreed.
I had learned enough about danger to know that curiosity could get me hurt.
That evening, Evelyn made dinner.
I barely touched it.
She sat across from me.
“What's worrying you most?”
I thought about the question.
“The possibility that Marcus will get away with it.”
She nodded.
“And?”
I hesitated.
“That people will believe him.”
She reached across the table.
“Nia, the truth doesn't become less real because someone lies about it.”
I wanted to believe her.
The following morning, the police contacted me.
They had interviewed a member of the wedding staff who remembered seeing Marcus near my car shortly before I left the reception.
The witness had not seen him damage anything.
But the timing was important.
Investigators were continuing to examine the vehicle.
They also wanted to speak with the estate's maintenance staff.
I felt a small flicker of hope.
Then another update came.
The forensic review of the phone recording had recovered additional audio.
Detective Harris played it for me in her office.
The sound was distorted, but I could hear Marcus breathing.
Then his voice.
“You made this harder than it needed to be.”
My own voice followed.
“What did you do?”
Marcus answered.
“You should have trusted me.”
I closed my eyes.
Harris paused the recording.
“Are you all right?”
I nodded.
“Keep going.”
The final seconds contained a faint sound from outside the car.
A woman's voice.
Vanessa.
“Marcus! Hurry!”
Then the recording ended.
I stared at the screen.
She had been close enough to shout.
Close enough to know he was inside.
Close enough to see me fighting for my life.
Detective Harris looked at me.
“We are continuing to investigate both of them.”
I swallowed.
“Do you think she'll tell the truth?”
Harris considered the question.
“People sometimes change their accounts when they understand the evidence. But we can't predict what she'll do.”
I nodded.
For the first time, I wasn't asking the police to believe me simply because I was terrified.
There was evidence.
Real evidence.
And it was growing.
That evening, Aunt Evelyn received a call from an unknown woman.
She answered on speakerphone while I sat beside her.
The voice was shaking.
“Is Nia there?”
Evelyn looked at me.
“Who is this?”
A pause.
Then the woman whispered, “It's Vanessa.”
My entire body went rigid.
Evelyn sat straighter.
“What do you want?”
Vanessa began crying.
“I need to tell Nia something.”
I stared at the phone.
Then I spoke.
“Tell me.”
Her breath caught.
“Nia, Marcus lied to me too.”
I felt anger rise in my chest.
“You watched him leave me in that car.”
“I know.”
“You stood there while I was drowning.”
“I know.”
“Then don't tell me you're innocent.”
Vanessa sobbed.
“I'm not innocent. But I didn't know he was going to kill you.”
I closed my eyes.
She continued.
“He told me the plan was to scare you into signing the documents.”
I felt sick.
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
May you like
Her voice broke.
“Because he told me that if you died, everything would finally belong to us.”
