Chapter 2 - Shadows of the PastThe wailing sirens of the ambulance sliced through the quiet night air of the affluent estate, flashing red and blue lights painting frantic patterns across the Victorian-style facade. Inside the mansion, the atmosphere had shifted from high-society gala to a locked-down crime scene.
Ethan refused to let go of Claire’s hand as the paramedics strapped her onto a backboard. Her eyes fluttered closed, consciousness slipping away from the agony in her ribs.
"Sir, you can't ride in the back," a paramedic warned Ethan as he tried to climb into the vehicle.
"Watch me," Ethan snarled, his jaw set in a dangerous line. He turned his burning gaze toward the grand staircase. Eleanor was already descending, flanked by her legal counsel and two private security guards who had materialized out of nowhere. Her composure was back, chillingly intact.
"Ethan, darling, let the professionals do their job," Eleanor said, her voice dripping with syrupy faux-concern. "It's tragic, really. Claire was always so clumsy. Coming back uninvited after all these years... well, mental instability is such a heavy burden."
Ethan lunged forward, but the private guards intercepted him, their heavy frames blocking his path. "You pushed her, Eleanor," Ethan whispered, his voice trembling with a rage so profound it was silent. "I saw you. Everyone saw you."
"Oh, Ethan," Eleanor laughed softly, a sound like glass breaking. "Who are they going to believe? A grieving, hysterical ex-con trying to blackmail a respected philanthropist, or me? The police are already handling the trespasser."
Ethan’s phone buzzed aggressively in his pocket. Yanking it out, he saw a cryptic text message flash across the screen from an unknown number:
May you like
The stairs were just Act One. Check the trust fund documents before midnight, or Claire dies in surgery.
His blood ran cold. He looked back at the ambulance doors slamming shut, carrying the woman he loved away into the night, while the monster who tried to kill her stood smiling under the chandelier.
