The plane touched down in Litsville with a gentle thud. I stepped onto familiar ground for the first time in five years. Fresh air swept through me, breathing new hope into my battered existence.
But my breathing hitched when my phone buzzed. All the air left my lungs. My chest tightened as I stared at the notification on the screen.
A popular celebrity blogger had posted a picture of Lydia and Leo from yesterday's gala. They were wrapped in each other's arms, looking picture perfect together.
The caption read: "CEO Leo Crane and his beautiful wife Lydia. A vision of love and elegance."
I stared at the screen, frozen.
Comments flooded in within seconds.
"You two are so perfect together!"
"This is what true love looks like!"
"Couple goals!"
"I wish I had what they have!"
Each comment was a knife to my heart.
My fingers hovered over the screen, trembling. Tears burned my eyes. I felt my knees weakening. Then I looked at their faces again. Leo's smile. Lydia's victorious smirk.
I deleted the notification with shaking hands.
If they could erase me from their lives so easily, I would erase them from my screen. From my mind. From my heart.
For the first time in weeks, I took a deep breath. The weight crushing my chest lifted slightly. I felt lighter.
Free.
"Elena?"
I looked up, my heart still racing from the emotional storm I had just weathered.
A tall figure stood a few feet away. Dark hair perfectly styled. Sharp jawline. A grin that felt like coming home.
My breath caught in my throat. "Ray?"
His grin widened. He closed the distance between us in three long strides and suddenly I was wrapped in his arms.
"I missed you, little sis," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. His hand ruffled my hair the way he used to during our childhood.
Tears spilled down my cheeks. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be held by someone who actually cared. Someone who wasn't calculating how to use me.
"Careful there. You're going to crush her," another voice said. Deep and commanding.
I pulled back from Ray's embrace and turned.
A man stood beside my brother. Tall, impeccably dressed in a tailored black suit that screamed wealth and power. Ocean blue eyes met mine. Sharp. Intense.
Something shifted in my chest. An unfamiliar feeling that scared me.
Ray stepped back, still grinning. "Elena, this is Anthony George. CEO of George Group. My best friend."
Anthony extended his hand. "Good to finally meet you, Elena."
The moment our fingers touched, heat spread through me. Slow and unwelcome.
I pulled back quickly, warmth flooding my cheeks. "Thank you for coming."
"Welcome home," his voice wrapped around me like a promise I hadn't asked for.
Ray wrapped an arm around my shoulder, grounding me in the present. "Ready to see Mom and Dad?"
I nodded, emotion clogging my throat. "Ready."
++++++
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Leo stood outside Elena's room.
"Mrs. Crane specifically asked not to be disturbed," the nurse blocked his path, her expression firm.
Leo sneered, his lips curling with disgust. "She caused a scene yesterday, embarrassed herself in front of everyone, and now she suddenly needs rest?" He pushed past the nurse. "Get out of my way."
He turned to the doctor standing nearby. "Is Lydia cleared for discharge?"
"Yes, Mr. Crane. Miss Lydia is completely healthy now."
Leo's face softened instantly. "Good. Let's go home then."
+++++++
Leo pushed open the front door of the Crane villa. Lydia stepped inside, looking around with barely concealed excitement. The house was exactly as she'd always imagined it. Spacious. Elegant. Expensive.
"I'm scared of sleeping by myself," she murmured, examining her fingernails with fake shyness.
Leo pulled her close, his voice dropping low. "You'll be staying in the master bedroom with me from now on. Elena can move to the guest room downstairs when she gets back. I'm sure she won't have a problem with it."
"Are you sure Elena will be fine with this?" Lydia asked, her voice dripping with false concern. "I don't want to cause problems between you two."
"You're the only one that matters to me," Leo cut her off sharply. "Once she's back, she'll renovate the bedroom to your taste, apologize to you for yesterday's tantrum, and beg for your forgiveness. I'll make sure of it."
Lydia's lips curled into a slow, satisfied smirk. Leo's phone rang. Unknown number. He answered. "Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Crane. This is Luxe Yacht calling. We wanted to follow up on the cancellation of your order. The Sovereign 450 yacht at a cost of eight million dollars. If there's an issue with the specifications, we can make adjustments..."
Leo's blood turned to ice. "What cancellation?"
"The order was placed by Mrs. Elena Crane three weeks ago as a gift. But she called yesterday to cancel it and requested a full refund."
Everything blurred.
Elena had ordered the yacht. The Sovereign 450. The one he'd dreamed about for five years. Three weeks ago.
If she'd been planning this gift three weeks ago, that meant...
The resort. Their anniversary. The fire.
His mind raced backward. What if she'd been there to surprise him? What if she'd seen him abandon her in the flames to run to Lydia?
"I... I have to go," he hung up, his hands shaking.
"What's wrong?" Lydia appeared in the doorway, concerned.
"I need to check on Elena." His voice came out tight, strained.
As he drove back to the hospital, his mind spun with possibilities. Each one worse than the last. What if Elena knew? What if she'd seen everything?
No. She couldn't know. She was too trusting. Too naive.
But the yacht cancellation...
He pressed harder on the accelerator.
Minutes later, Leo burst through the hospital doors. He rushed to Elena's room and threw open the door.
The bed was occupied. The blanket rose and fell gently with breathing. Relief flooded through him for half a second. He grabbed the blanket and yanked it back.
A pillow stared up at him, arranged to look like a person.
"No." The word came out strangled.
He spun around, searching the room frantically. The closet was empty. The bathroom was empty. Her belongings were gone.
He grabbed his phone with trembling fingers and called her number.
The call wouldn't connect.
He tried again. Same result.
He started typing frantically. "Elena, where are you?"
"I'm ready to forgive you if you come home now."
Message failed to send. He tried calling again. Nothing. Realization hit him like a freight train. Elena had blocked him.
He called his security team, his voice shaking. "Find her. I don't care what it takes. Find my wife. Now!"
His fingers wouldn't stop trembling.
Then he saw it.
A package on the bedside table. Small. Wrapped in brown paper. His name is written on it in Elena's handwriting. His blood ran cold. Panic clawed at his throat as he tore the wrapping off.
Inside was a sealed plastic bag. A blood-seeping item was wrapped careful inside.
Rotten. Metallic. Death.
The stench exploded through the room, suffocating everything.
Leo staggered backward, bile rising in his throat. His face drained of all colors.
The bag slipped from his hands and hit the floor with a wet, obscene thud.
"What the hell happened to her?" His voice cracked as he stared at the package.
His temple was trembling and his body shaken.
What had he done?
