Chapter 3 - The Code That Betrayed Me
"The access belonged to..."
Marcus stopped speaking.
And somehow, that silence scared me more than the answer.
Because I already knew.
There were only a few people in the world who had access to my private security system.
Only a few people I trusted enough to give that kind of power.
My family.
My closest employees.
People who knew every weakness in my life.
"Say the name."
Marcus looked at me.
"Sir..."
"Say it."
His jaw tightened.
"The authorization code belongs to Richard Mercer."
The room became silent.
My uncle.
The man who had been beside me since the beginning.
The man who helped build Mercer Industries.
The man who stood beside me at Elizabeth's funeral and told me he would protect my children like they were his own.
I stared at Marcus.
"That's impossible."
"I checked three times."
"No."
I stepped back.
"Richard doesn't have access anymore."
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
"He shouldn't."
Those two words made my blood run cold.
Shouldn't.
Not didn't.
Not never.
Shouldn't.
I turned toward Clara.
She wasn't surprised.
That was the part that terrified me.
"You knew."
Clara looked down.
"I suspected."
"You suspected my uncle?"
"Elizabeth suspected him first."
The name hit me again.
Elizabeth.
For six years, I had forced myself to believe I knew the truth.
I believed my wife had left behind questions because she had secrets.
I believed the accident was just an accident.
I believed my family had protected me from pain.
But now every answer I received created ten more questions.
"Give me the USB."
Clara handed it over.
I walked toward my office while Marcus followed.
The mansion felt different.
It was still the same place.
Same walls.
Same expensive furniture.
Same security systems.
But suddenly it felt like I had been living inside a beautiful cage.
A cage built by people who knew exactly where to hide the bars.
I entered my office and connected the USB drive.
The screen remained black for several seconds.
Then a folder appeared.
No password.
No protection.
Just one file.
"Alexander."
My heart stopped.
The file name was my name.
Created six years ago.
I clicked it.
A video appeared.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
Because Elizabeth was on the screen.
Alive.
Sitting in a room I didn't recognize.
Her hair was shorter.
Her face looked tired.
But it was her.
My wife.
The woman I buried.
"Alexander," she said softly.
My hands gripped the desk.
"If you are watching this, something went wrong."
I stopped breathing.
Elizabeth looked directly into the camera.
"I wanted to tell you everything."
The video shook slightly.
Like she had been recording it in a hurry.
"But I couldn't trust anyone around us."
A tear moved down my face before I even realized I was crying.
Six years.
Six years of believing she was gone.
Six years of anger.
Six years of asking why she left me.
And now she was sitting in front of me.
Trying to explain.
"I know what you're thinking."
Her voice became softer.
"You think I betrayed you."
I closed my eyes.
Because she was right.
"I saw the messages."
I whispered.
"The accounts."
The video continued.
"I created those things because I needed them to find the truth."
A folder opened beside the video.
Documents appeared.
Financial records.
Medical reports.
Private investigations.
My entire family history was there.
Elizabeth had been investigating something.
Something connected to Mercer Industries.
Something connected to our children.
"Your children are the reason I started looking deeper."
The words made me freeze.
"Emma and Ethan were never supposed to be sick."
I leaned closer.
"What?"
The video continued.
"When they were born, their medical records were changed."
My heart started racing.
"Someone altered their information."
I looked toward the hallway.
Toward the room where my children slept.
"Why?"
Elizabeth looked away from the camera.
"Because someone wanted access to something only our children could provide."
The video suddenly glitched.
Then her face returned.
"If something happens to me, do not trust anyone who tells you I abandoned you."
My chest tightened.
"Elizabeth..."
"Especially not someone who benefits from my disappearance."
The screen went black.
The video ended.
I sat there frozen.
No sound.
No movement.
Nothing.
Then Marcus spoke.
"Sir."
I looked up.
He was holding his phone.
"We have a problem."
I wiped my face.
"What now?"
"The medical suite cameras just came back online."
I stood immediately.
"What?"
Marcus looked at the screen.
"The cameras were disabled for exactly seven minutes."
Seven minutes.
Enough time for someone to enter.
Enough time for someone to do something.
I ran.
I didn't remember crossing the hallway.
I didn't remember opening the medical suite door.
I only remembered seeing my children.
Emma was sleeping.
Ethan was awake.
Both were alive.
I almost collapsed from relief.
Then I saw Dr. Yates.
He was standing beside the monitors.
Holding something.
"What happened?"
The doctor turned.
His face was pale.
"I don't know."
"What is that?"
He slowly opened his hand.
A small piece of paper.
"Someone left this here."
I took it.
There were only four words written on it.
"Stop looking for Elizabeth."
The room went cold.
Clara stepped forward.
She stared at the note.
Then she whispered:
"They know we're here."
I looked at her.
"Who?"
She didn't answer.
Because Ethan suddenly opened his eyes.
My son looked directly at Clara.
Then he looked at me.
"Daddy..."
I moved closer.
"What is it?"
His voice was weak.
But clear.
"That woman..."
He pointed at Clara.
"Mommy said she would come when we were in danger."
Everyone froze.
I looked at Clara.
She covered her mouth.
Because she was crying.
"You knew my children?"
She nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"How?"
She looked at Ethan.
Then at me.
"Because I was there the night Elizabeth disappeared."
My entire body went still.
"What night?"
Clara reached into her coat.
She pulled out another photograph.
This one was newer.
Six years newer.
A photograph taken after Elizabeth's supposed death.
I grabbed it.
And the world around me disappeared.
Because standing beside Elizabeth in the photograph...
Was someone I knew.
Someone who had been inside my mansion.
Someone who had hugged my children.
Someone who had looked me in the eyes and promised to protect my family.
Clara pointed at the person in the picture.
May you like
And whispered:
"Alexander... this is the person who helped fake your wife's death."
