Chapter 9: The Room Beneath The Room
The second basement changed everything.
The police moved quickly.
Guests were escorted outside.
The ballroom that had been filled with celebration became a crime scene.
I stood beside Lily while officers searched the hidden rooms beneath the estate.
Emily stayed close.
But there was distance between us now.
Not because I didn’t love her.
Because I didn’t know what else I didn’t know.
The officer returned twenty minutes later.
His expression told me enough.
“What did you find?””
He looked at Emily.
Then at me.
“Another room.””
My stomach tightened.
“Another person?””
He shook his head.
“No.””
He handed me a plastic evidence bag.
Inside was a phone.
An old one.
Cracked.
But recognizable.
Emily covered her mouth.
“That’s mine.””
I looked at her.
“You had another phone?””
She shook her head quickly.
“No.””
The officer explained.
“We found it hidden behind a wall panel.””
Emily took a step back.
“That phone disappeared the night I was attacked.””
I stared at it.
“What’s on it?””
The officer hesitated.
“Messages.””
“From who?””
He looked at me.
“From you.””
My blood went cold.
“What?””
He unlocked the phone.
“There are messages sent from this device pretending to be Daniel.””
Emily’s eyes widened.
“I never saw those.””
The officer read one.
“Emily, I need space. Don’t come looking for me.””
My heart sank.
I remembered that night.
The last night before she vanished.
Emily had called me.
I had been angry.
I thought she was avoiding me.
I thought she was hiding something.
But now…
Someone had been pretending to be me.
The officer showed another message.
“Please stop contacting me. I don’t want this marriage anymore.””
Emily started crying.
“I thought you sent those.””
I stared at her.
“And I thought you abandoned us.””
The realization hit us both.
Someone had created the perfect misunderstanding.
Someone wanted us separated.
Vanessa.
But why?
I turned.
She was standing near the police car, guarded by an officer.
Watching.
I walked toward her.
“You forged messages.””
She looked at me.
“Yes.””
Her honesty shocked me.
“Why?””
Her eyes filled with something I didn’t expect.
Regret.
“Because I thought you would finally choose me.””
I stared at her.
“You destroyed my family for that?””
“I loved you.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You loved the idea of owning my life.””
Her expression cracked.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
Vanessa looked toward Emily.
“I watched you suffer for years.””
“That was because of you.””
“I know.””
The answer stopped me.
She knew.
She knew exactly what she had done.
“And you still planned to marry me?””
Her voice became quiet.
“I thought if I gave you enough happiness, maybe it would outweigh what I took away.””
I felt sick.
“That’s not love.””
She looked away.
“No.””
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“It isn’t.””
For one second, she looked human.
Then the officer’s radio interrupted.
“Officer, we found surveillance footage.””
Everyone turned.
The officer looked at me.
“From the night Ms. Bennett disappeared.””
My heart started racing.
“Can I see it?””
He nodded.
Inside the estate office, we watched the footage.
A grainy black-and-white video appeared.
The timestamp showed six years ago.
The hallway.
Emily walking.
Then Vanessa.
Then another person.
I leaned closer.
Because the third person entering the frame was someone I never expected.
Not Michael.
Not Claire.
Someone else.
Someone I trusted.
Emily whispered:
“Oh my God.””
The footage paused.
The officer pointed.
“This person was there when your wife disappeared.””
I stared at the frozen image.
Then the screen zoomed in.
And I saw the face.
May you like
My own brother.
James.
