Chapter 4 - THE DIVORCE THAT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN
Claire didn't invite Vincent inside after he told her about Richard Vale.
She closed the door.
Not because she hated him, but because she no longer knew which parts of their shared history were real.
Vincent stood on the porch for several minutes before leaving.
That night, he ordered Leo to locate Richard Vale and every person connected to Anthony's final shipment.
By sunrise, Leo had discovered something disturbing.
The shipment had never reached its destination.
Instead, it had been transferred to a private warehouse outside Chicago, then recorded as destroyed in a fire.
Three people had signed the final inspection report.
Anthony Moretti.
Richard Vale.
And a young accountant named Elizabeth Hayes.
Vincent stared at the document.
"My father said Elizabeth was never involved in the business."
Leo nodded.
"Someone falsified the company records."
"Why?"
"Maybe she was protecting something."
Vincent turned toward the window.
"Or someone."
Across the city, Claire met Margaret Ellis at a crowded coffee shop.
The older woman arrived wearing a gray coat and carrying a leather handbag.
She placed a small notebook on the table.
"Your mother kept this hidden until the week she died."
Claire opened it.
The pages contained shipping numbers, bank transfers, and names.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Richard Vale.
Another appeared beside it.
Vincent's father.
Then Claire found her own name.
Beside it was a date from five years earlier.
The day she married Vincent.
"Why is my name here?"
Margaret looked away.
"Because your marriage wasn't entirely accidental."
Claire stared at her.
"Explain."
"Your mother believed the Moretti family would eventually need you to claim the trust. She asked Anthony to keep you safe."
Claire felt sick.
"So Anthony arranged for Vincent to meet me?"
"No. Your relationship was real. But Anthony knew who you were long before Vincent introduced you to his family."
Claire remembered her first Christmas at the Moretti estate.
Anthony had taken her aside and asked whether her mother had ever given her a silver locket.
Claire had said yes.
He had smiled sadly and told her to keep it safe.
Margaret reached across the table.
"That locket contains the key to your mother's private records."
Claire pulled the chain from beneath her blouse.
The small silver locket had belonged to Elizabeth. Claire had worn it on her wedding day and every day afterward.
She opened it.
Inside was a tiny photograph and a folded strip of paper she had never noticed.
Three numbers were written on it.
A warehouse number.
A storage unit.
And a date.
Claire's hands trembled.
The date was the day before her mother's death.
Margaret leaned closer.
"Claire, there's something you must understand. Your mother didn't just leave you money."
May you like
She looked directly into Claire's eyes.
"She left you proof that the Moretti empire was built on a murder."
