Chapter 5: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Adrian’s words hung in the air like a threat.
“The real person who saved me died three years ago.””
I felt my fingers go numb.
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach.
The baby kicked.
A small movement.
A reminder that I was still here.
That I was alive.
That everything I had built was real.
But Adrian’s face told me something had just shattered.
He wasn’t looking at me like the woman he loved.
He was looking at me like someone he didn’t understand.
“Who told you that?”” I asked.
My voice barely came out.
Adrian stared at his phone.
“She didn’t give her name.””
“Then why would you believe her?””
“I don’t know.””
That answer hurt.
Not because he admitted uncertainty.
Because I knew he had already let doubt enter.
After everything.
After all the nights I stood beside him.
After all the memories we shared.
One anonymous voice had been enough to make him question me.
Lucas stepped forward.
“Adrian, listen carefully.””
Adrian looked at him.
“What?””
“This is exactly what they want.””
“What who wants?””
Lucas looked toward Camille.
She immediately looked away.
Adrian noticed.
“Camille.””
She didn’t respond.
“Look at me.””
Slowly, she did.
“Did you know about this?””
Her lips parted.
“I…”
“That’s not an answer.””
Camille’s eyes filled with tears.
“I knew there were rumors.””
“Rumors that my wife was dead?””
She flinched.
“Not exactly.””
My heart sank.
Not exactly?
What did that even mean?
I looked at Camille.
“What did you know?””
She stayed silent.
“Camille,” I said.
She finally looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something I never expected.
Guilt.
“I knew someone was looking for the woman from the accident.””
The room went cold.
Adrian stepped closer.
“What woman?””
Camille swallowed.
“The woman who saved you.””
I stared at her.
“Then why didn’t you tell him?””
Her eyes moved to Adrian.
“Because I didn’t know if it was true.””
Adrian laughed quietly.
A broken sound.
“So everyone knew something except me.””
Nobody answered.
Because he was right.
But there was one thing he didn’t understand.
I had never tried to deceive him.
I had only been afraid.
I looked at Adrian.
“You think I wanted to hide this?””
His eyes met mine.
“I don’t know anymore.””
The words cut deeper than any insult.
I looked away.
Because I refused to cry in front of them again.
Not tonight.
Not after I had already lost everything.
Lucas noticed my expression.
“Olivia didn’t fake anything.””
Adrian looked at him.
“You’re certain?””
Lucas nodded.
“I was there.””
Everyone froze.
I looked at him.
“You were?””
Lucas looked down.
“Not at the accident.””
He took a breath.
“But afterward.””
Adrian frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Lucas walked toward the table and opened the folder again.
“After the accident, someone tried to erase evidence.””
My stomach tightened.
“Evidence of what?””
“Of who saved you.””
Adrian looked confused.
“Why?””
Lucas’s face became serious.
“Because someone didn’t want you to know.””
The room fell silent.
Adrian looked at me.
“Why?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
But there was a memory I had buried.
A memory I had tried not to think about.
The night after the accident.
The hospital hallway.
The stranger who approached me.
The man who told me to stay quiet.
I had never told Adrian.
Because I thought it was unrelated.
Until now.
“I saw someone,” I whispered.
Everyone looked at me.
Adrian stepped closer.
“What?””
“After the accident.””
My voice trembled.
“A man came to the hospital.””
Lucas’s expression changed.
“What did he look like?””
I closed my eyes.
I could still remember.
“Tall. Gray suit. A silver watch.””
Lucas went completely still.
“Victor.””
Adrian looked at him.
“What?””
Lucas’s jaw tightened.
“Victor Hale.””
The name filled the room again.
Adrian shook his head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It does,” Lucas said.
“How?””
“Because Victor wasn’t only trying to destroy your father’s company.””
Lucas looked at me.
“He was trying to control your entire life.””
A chill ran through me.
Adrian sat down slowly.
“No.””
He looked exhausted.
“My whole life?””
Lucas nodded.
“He knew about the accident.””
Adrian looked at me.
“He knew you saved me.””
“Yes.””
“And he erased it?””
Lucas didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Adrian covered his face.
For the first time, I saw how lost he truly was.
The powerful businessman.
The man everyone respected.
The man who thought he controlled his own world.
He looked like someone who had just discovered his entire life was built on a lie.
Then Camille spoke.
“He didn’t erase it completely.””
Everyone turned.
She looked terrified.
“What do you mean?””
Camille looked at Adrian.
“There was another person.””
My heart stopped.
“Who?””
Camille looked at me.
And I knew.
Before she said it.
I knew.
“The nurse.””
Adrian frowned.
“What nurse?””
“The nurse who treated Olivia.””
I froze.
Camille continued.
“She saw everything.””
Lucas immediately grabbed his phone.
“Do you know where she is?””
Camille hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Where?””
She looked at Adrian.
“She disappeared.””
Adrian’s expression darkened.
“Convenient.””
“I didn’t make her disappear.””
“Then who did?””
Nobody answered.
Then my phone rang.
The sound made everyone jump.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
My chest tightened.
I answered.
“Hello?””
At first, there was only breathing.
Then a woman’s voice.
Soft.
Older.
Terrified.
“Olivia?””
My entire body froze.
“How do you know my name?””
The woman whispered.
“Because I’ve been looking for you.””
Everyone watched me.
I stood slowly.
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“I’m the nurse who was there the night Adrian Whitmore almost died.””
Adrian immediately stood.
“Put it on speaker.””
I did.
The woman continued.
“Olivia, you need to leave that house.””
My heart raced.
“Why?””
“Because they know you found the truth.””
Lucas looked around.
“Who knows?””
The woman went silent.
Then she said:
“Victor Hale.””
The room froze.
Adrian’s face changed.
“Where are you?””
The nurse ignored him.
“Olivia, listen to me.””
Her voice shook.
“The accident was not an accident.””
My blood turned cold.
“What?””
“I was told to change the medical report.””
Adrian stepped closer to the phone.
“Who told you?””
The woman hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Your father.””
Everyone froze.
Adrian’s face went pale.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
The nurse’s voice broke.
“Because he knew someone was trying to kill you.””
I felt the room spinning.
Adrian grabbed the edge of the table.
“My father knew?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t he tell me?””
The nurse was silent.
Then she answered:
“Because he didn’t get the chance.””
Adrian stopped.
“What do you mean?””
The woman took a shaky breath.
“Your father wasn’t killed by a business failure.””
A pause.
“He was murdered.””
Nobody spoke.
The only sound was the rain hitting the windows.
Then the nurse whispered the words that destroyed the last piece of Adrian’s reality.
“And Olivia…”
I held my breath.
“The person who saved Adrian that night wasn’t the only person Victor tried to erase.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“What are you saying?””
The nurse lowered her voice.
“I’m saying…”
A sudden noise interrupted her.
A crash.
The line went silent.
“Hello?””
No answer.
“Hello?””
Static.
Then one final whisper came through.
A whisper so faint I almost missed it.
“Run…”
The call ended.
Adrian immediately grabbed his coat.
“We’re leaving.””
I looked at him.
“Where?””
His face was pale.
But his voice was steady.
“To find that nurse.””
Lucas moved toward the door.
“Adrian.””
He stopped.
“What?””
Lucas looked at me.
Then at him.
“She wasn’t warning us about Victor.””
A chill went down my spine.
“Then who?””
Lucas pointed toward the dark window.
Outside, across the street, a black car was parked.
The engine was running.
And someone was sitting inside.
Watching the house.
Camille whispered:
“They found us.””
And then Adrian’s phone lit up.
A new message.
One photo.
Taken moments ago.
A picture of me standing in the living room.
May you like
With a single sentence underneath.
*“You should have stayed gone, Olivia.””*
