Chapter 13 - The Secret Meeting
The heavy steel doors of the federal penitentiary slammed shut behind me.
I sat nervously in the bleak visitor's room, gripping the plastic phone receiver with sweaty hands. On the other side of the thick bulletproof glass, Vanessa sat in a bright orange jumpsuit. Her designer makeup was gone, but her wicked, triumphant smile was as sharp as ever.
"I knew you would come, Elena," Vanessa sneered through the crackling phone line. "Did you find the files?"
I glared at her, fighting the urge to shatter the glass between us. "Tell me exactly what Nathan knew. Did he order the hit on my husband?"
Vanessa let out a dark, mocking laugh that echoed in the tiny booth. "Oh, no, my dear. Nathan isn't a killer. He's just a tragic, pathetic coward. His father, Arthur Cole, ordered the hit on David to protect the company's stock price. The hit-and-run was orchestrated by the corporate fixers."
"Then why did Nathan hire me?" I demanded, hot tears stinging my eyes. "Why did he bring me into his home?"
"Guilt," Vanessa spat venomously. "Nathan found out about the murder after it happened. He was disgusted, but he chose to protect his precious family empire instead of turning his father in to the police. He buried the evidence to save the Cole legacy."
She leaned closer to the glass, her eyes gleaming with pure malice. "He tracked you down, Elena. He hired you as a maid to secretly provide for you and the deaf child his company ruined. He fell in love with his own victim to ease his guilty conscience. Your entire fairytale romance is built on the blood of your dead husband."
I slammed the phone receiver down on the hook, cutting off her toxic laughter.
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My stomach violently twisted in nausea as I stumbled out of the federal prison. Everything I thought I knew about my beautiful new life was a complete and utter lie. Nathan had kissed me, held my child, and proposed to me, all while hiding the fact that his family had ruthlessly slaughtered the man I loved.
I got into my car and gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned bright white. The fear was gone, replaced by a deep, blinding fury. I was going to tear the Cole empire to the ground.
