Chapter 2 - The Missing Diamond
The sterile smell of the hospital room woke Daniel from a deep sleep.
He kept his breathing slow and steady, refusing to open his eyes immediately.
He needed time to process the terrifying phone call he had overheard Vanessa making in the driveway.
His mind drifted back to a strange incident that had happened in his mansion three months ago.
It was the afternoon Vanessa’s expensive diamond bracelet had mysteriously vanished.
Grace had just cleared the lunch plates when Vanessa suddenly stood up and accused her.
Vanessa had publicly humiliated the quiet maid in front of three wealthy socialites.
Grace had stood her ground with a calm, dignified posture that Daniel had never forgotten.
Daniel had arrived home later that day and stopped the cruel interrogation immediately.
He remembered searching the house himself to ease the suffocating tension.
He had found the glittering diamond bracelet hidden deep inside a zippered pocket of Vanessa’s own designer handbag.
He had handed it back to Vanessa, assuming she had simply forgotten where she placed it.
But lying in the hospital bed now, Daniel realized it was not a careless mistake.
Vanessa had deliberately tried to frame Grace to get her fired.
Daniel slowly opened his eyes and looked around the private intensive care room.
Vanessa was sitting in a leather chair by the window, aggressively tapping her manicured nails on her phone screen.
"Daniel, thank God you are awake," she gasped, rushing to the side of his bed.
She reached out to grab his hand, her eyes filled with fake concern.
Daniel pulled his hand away slowly and stared at her with a blank, confused expression.
"Who are you?" Daniel asked, forcing his voice to sound weak and disoriented.
Vanessa froze, staring at him in absolute shock.
"It is me, Daniel," she laughed nervously.
"I am your fiancée, Vanessa."
Daniel shook his head and looked away toward the blank white wall.
"I do not have a fiancée," he whispered softly.
Vanessa's fake smile instantly dropped into a hard, calculating line.
The attending doctor walked into the room a moment later with a heavy medical chart.
Vanessa immediately pulled the doctor out into the hallway, leaving the door cracked slightly open.
Daniel held his breath and strained his ears to listen to their hushed conversation.
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"If his memory loss is permanent, I need you to sign the medical declaration of incompetence," Vanessa demanded.
"I already have his power of attorney documents ready to file this afternoon."
