Chapter 2 - The Reflection
The screen immediately faded to pitch black.
The silence in the ballroom felt heavy enough to crush my lungs.
Nathaniel did not say a single word as he reached out and pressed a button on the media player.
He rewound the footage to the exact moment the dark shadow appeared on the floor.
"Clara, take the children out to the garden immediately," Nathaniel ordered without looking away from the screen.
His voice was terrifyingly calm and devoid of all emotion.
I grabbed Sophia and Eli by their hands and ushered them quickly out the glass patio doors.
Once the children were safely chasing butterflies on the lawn, I slipped back into the ballroom.
Nathaniel had managed to pause the video on a single frame just before the camera was dropped.
He pointed to a large antique mirror hanging on the wall in the background of the video.
The reflection in the mirror was blurry, but it clearly showed the man holding the camera.
He was wearing a custom silver watch with a very distinctive emerald face.
I gasped loudly because I had seen that exact watch just yesterday.
"That is Julian's watch," Nathaniel whispered, speaking the name of his own younger brother.
Julian was the co-founder of their massive technology empire and Nathaniel's most trusted confidant.
"Julian told the police he was away on a business trip in London the week Evelyn died," I said nervously.
Nathaniel's jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might shatter.
"My brother lied to me and he murdered my wife," Nathaniel stated coldly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone to call the authorities.
Before he could dial the first number, we heard the heavy sound of footsteps echoing in the marble hallway.
The ballroom doors were pushed wide open.
Julian walked into the room wearing a sharp tailored suit and a confident smile.
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He looked directly at the frozen image of his dead sister-in-law on the television screen.
"What exactly are we watching, big brother?" Julian asked as he slowly reached inside his suit jacket.
