Chapter 2
Elena stepped out of the guest bathroom and quietly dialed her cousin Marcus, an investigative journalist living in downtown Boston. The phone rang three times before a groggy, deep voice answered on the other end of the secure encrypted line.
“Elena? Do you have any idea what time it is on the East Coast right now?” Marcus muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Marcus, I need you to listen to me very carefully and don't interrupt,” Elena whispered, her voice cracking with suppressed panic.
She hurriedly recounted every single bizarre detail from the previous night, starting from Victoria's dramatic drunken entrance to the unsettling morning discovery. When she described the reddish-brown stain on the matrimonial bedsheet, the line went dead silent for several terrifying seconds.
“Elena, did you say a reddish-brown stain that smelled nothing like alcohol?” Marcus asked, his sleepy tone vanishing instantly into razor-sharp professional focus. “Yes, Marcus, it was thick, drying in the middle, and it had a metallic scent that made my stomach completely turn over,” she confirmed.
“That doesn't sound like accidental spills or ordinary wedding chaos; that sounds like biological evidence or a forced physical struggle,” Marcus analyzed grimly. “What should I do? Julian is pretending to sleep upstairs, and Victoria is acting like nothing in the world is wrong,” Elena pleaded.
“Get out of that house immediately, pack your bags, and drive to a public place where there are security cameras and witnesses,” Marcus instructed firmly. “I can't just leave without answers, Marcus; I need to know what happened in my own bed last night before I face them,” Elena argued.
“Then document everything discreetly, take photos if you can safely do so, and do not consume any food or drinks they offer you,” Marcus warned. The line clicked shut, leaving Elena alone in the quiet hallway with the heavy weight of her cousin's ominous warning echoing in her ears.
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She walked toward the kitchen, her senses heightened to every creak of the floorboards and every hum of the high-end refrigerator. The morning sun was now fully illuminating the immaculate quartz countertops, highlighting a freshly brewed pot of coffee sitting on the burner.
Victoria's immaculate silver hair and charcoal-grey blazer appeared suddenly around the corner, making Elena jump back in involuntary fright. “Good morning, my sweet daughter-in-law! Did you sleep comfortably on the sofa downstairs?” Victoria asked with a sickeningly sweet smile.
