Chapter 4 - THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE
Adrian dismissed the idea of coincidence immediately.
Daniel Price had been one of his most trusted employees.
Four years earlier, Adrian was told Daniel had died during a business trip to Eastern Europe.
Victor handled the arrangements.
Just as he had handled Benjamin's supposed death.
Two men.
Two disappearances.
Two death reports.
One common connection.
Victor Kane.
Adrian stood beside the window of Dr. Morris's office, his jaw so tight I could see the muscles moving.
“I let him handle everything.”
Gabriel said nothing.
Neither did I.
For the first time, I saw the cost of Adrian's unquestioning loyalty.
He had spent years trusting Victor with his money, his business, and the people who depended on him.
Apparently, Victor had been deciding which truths Adrian was allowed to know.
Rachel arranged for an independent forensic review of the historical records.
Then she obtained confirmation that the person admitted as Daniel Ward had been transferred from Hudson Valley Recovery Services after approximately eight months.
The destination was another medical facility.
But the transfer paperwork did not list an ordinary hospital.
It named a private care administrator.
Daniel Price.
The supposedly dead security officer.
I felt sick.
“If Benjamin was alive for eight months, why didn't he contact me?”
No one answered.
That silence frightened me more than anything else.
On the drive back to Manhattan, I looked at my wedding ring.
I still wore it.
The band had become thin.
The small diamond was loose.
But I could never bring myself to remove it.
When Mia was born, I told myself I wore it because I wanted her to know she had a father who once loved us.
Now I had no idea what had happened to him.
Adrian sat opposite me.
“Elena, I need to tell you something.”
I looked up.
“Benjamin came to me the week before he disappeared.”
My chest tightened.
“He said someone was stealing from the foundation.”
“Did he name Victor?”
“No. He said he needed more time to verify the accounts.”
“And what did you do?”
“I told him to take his concerns to Victor, because Victor managed the foundation's financial operations.”
I stared at him.
“You sent my husband to the man who destroyed him.”
Adrian didn't look away.
“Yes.”
The honesty hurt almost as much as the truth.
He continued.
“I didn't know Victor was involved. But Benjamin came to me because he trusted me, and I directed him straight back to the person he was investigating.”
I turned toward the window.
For the rest of the drive, I couldn't look at him.
That evening, Mia ran into my arms the moment I returned to the mansion.
“Mommy! Mr. Adrian let me help bake cookies.”
I looked at him.
He stood several feet away, looking almost embarrassed.
“Mrs. Whitmore supervised.”
Mia held up a crooked chocolate-chip cookie.
“It looks like an elephant!”
I smiled despite everything.
Then I noticed the stuffed elephant tucked beneath her arm.
Benjamin had bought it before Mia was born.
It was one of the few gifts he had managed to give her.
He called it Captain Peanut because he insisted every child needed an elephant capable of protecting them from nightmares.
Mia hugged it every night.
Then she said something that made me stop smiling.
“Mommy, Captain Peanut has a secret.”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“What kind of secret?”
She turned the elephant over.
A small section of stitching had come loose near its back.
“Something hard is inside.”
I stared at the seam.
Benjamin had always been careful with things.
May you like
Especially things he wanted to protect.
And suddenly I wondered whether my daughter's favorite toy had been carrying his final secret for six years.
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