Chapter 5
Kael’s eyes were fixed on the brot on camera Matteo held. His chest felt tight, a storm of confusion and fear twisting inside him.
He gripped Matteo by the shoulders, his voice shaking. “What do you mean you have it? And the shootout… the explosion… where is
Elara? Where is she?”
“Elara isn’t dead, “Kael said, his voice frantic. “It has to be one of her tricks. She’s playing a joke, right?”
Matteo shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping him. “Kael, she mailed this two days ago. I found it at your door with your name on it. I
thought it was just a prop for the engagement ceremony. That’s why I brought it inside.”
Kael’s heart sank. “Wait… she knew about the whole plan?”
Matteo’s expression darkened. “And the explosion… the car went over a cliff. There were no survivors at the scene.”
Kael felt the world tilt. “No… that can’t be. She had your baby. And I… I drove her to this. First the clinic, now this…”
Matteo’s voice was heavy. “You wanted revenge. Now she’s gone. Maybe you should cancel the video at the ceremony.”
Kael staggered, disbelief rooting him to the spot. “It’s impossible. Nothing happened. She’s trying to scare me.”
“And the baby… no. That can’t be.“His chest tightened as reality pressed in.
“She’s just angry I’m marrying someone else. That’s all. “He tried to convince himself, clinging to any hope.
“We were on the phone this morning. She promised she’d come to my engagement. She wouldn’t lie…“His voice cracked.
Matteo placed the shattered camera in Kael’s trembling hands. “Maybe she would have come before. But now she knows everything.
Do you really think she’d still show up?”
Kael’s mind raced. “Show up, just so I can play those tapes? So her mother can be humiliated? Or just stand there and endure it
silently?”
Matteo’s voice was sharp. “She never truly belonged here. She never received any genuine affection. You’ve been planning this for
six years, but she’s the innocent one. The family owes her more than she owes them.”
Kael sank into himself, the weight of his obsession and revenge crushing him. With Elara gone, and their child lost, he was
paralyzed.
Serena approached, slipping her arm through his. “Kael? What’s wrong? You look terrible,“she said, feigning concern.
Her tone carried a subtle edge. “Is she refusing to come? Throwing a tantrum?”
Dressed in her custom white gown, Serena looked every bit the perfect bride. She glanced at the broken camera on the floor. “Even if she is the enemy, you’ve spoiled her for six years. No wonder she’s so immature.”
Her words cut deeper than he wanted to admit. “You were too soft. We never should have let them in. She and her mother should have been cast out from the start, “she said, her voice sharp and cruel.
Kael’s mind flickered through memories–the music box camera, the garden with Serena, the carefully orchestrated encounters with Elara. Everything had been planned to the smallest detail. Even the minor incidents, the falls, the shopping trips–it all had purpose. Now it felt like a trap he’d set for himself.
He looked at Serena, his voice cold. “Did you say anything to her?”
Her smile faltered for a split second. “What would I have said? We barely spoke.”
Chapter 5
“That night, in her room. What did you say?“he pressed, his tone low and dangerous.
Serena took a step back. “I just… Ved to be friends.”
“But she attacked you. You saw it, “he said.
“I didn’t provoke her, “she said defensively.
Kael stepped closer. “Then why did she attack you?”
“That’s not like Elara. She would never strike without a reason, “Serena said.
“Unless…“His eyes narrowed. Suspicion sharpened in his gaze. “You deliberately provoked her.”
