Chapter 5 - Ethan Discovers A Hidden Compartment Inside The Wood
Ethan carried the shattered fragments of the music box into his private study, locking the heavy oak door behind him. He set the pieces down on his polished mahogany desk, turning on his brass reading lamp.
With the tip of a small letter opener, he gently pried apart the decorative velvet lining inside the base. A hidden wooden panel snapped open with a soft pop, revealing a narrow compartment that had remained sealed for years.
Inside lay a thick, yellowed envelope sealed with faded red wax and a worn black ribbon. Written across the front of the envelope in his late wife’s neat handwriting were the words: To Ethan.
Ethan’s hands shook uncontrollably as he picked up the envelope, feeling a heavy weight in his chest. His first wife, Clara, had passed away under sudden and mysterious circumstances six years ago in a tragic car accident.
The police had ruled it a tragic collision on a rain-slicked mountain road outside the city limits. Yet Clara had hidden this secret compartment inside Sophie’s favorite toy before the fatal crash ever occurred.
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He slid his thumb under the wax seal, tearing the paper open with a sudden burst of nervous anticipation. Inside lay a handwritten letter accompanied by a faded photograph of a young medical researcher.
Ethan unfolded the crisp stationery paper, his eyes scanning the first sentence written by his late wife. The words leaped off the page, shattering every single assumption he had held about his past life.
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