Chapter 3 - The Hidden Truth
The next morning, the air in the estate felt entirely different. It felt toxic.
I sat at the expansive dining table, sipping black coffee and watching Vivian casually spread imported jam over her toast. She looked pristine, wearing a silk robe, humming a light classical tune. She acted as if she hadn't ruined a woman’s life just fourteen hours prior.
“I’m going to head to the hospital early,” I said, checking my gold watch. “I have a board meeting regarding the new pediatric wing. Can you watch the boys today?”
Vivian sighed dramatically, a look of profound inconvenience crossing her beautiful face. “I suppose, darling. Though I do have a fitting at noon, and a luncheon. It’s so terribly inconvenient that Maya turned out to be a thief. Good help is impossible to find. I’ll have my assistant call an agency to send a temporary replacement.”
“Don't bother,” I said smoothly, standing up. “I’ll work from the home office this afternoon. You go to your luncheon.”
She smiled, blowing me a kiss. “You’re the best husband, David.”
It took every ounce of self-control I possessed not to vomit.
I didn't go to the hospital. Instead, I drove my matte black SUV directly to the county precinct. The stark, gray walls of the police station were a stark contrast to the marble and gold I was accustomed to. I walked straight to the front desk, bypassed the waiting line, and slid my business card across the counter.
“I need to see Maya Lin,” I told the desk sergeant. “And I need to see her immediately. Put it on my tab if you have to.”
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in a bleak, cinderblock interrogation room. The heavy metal door clicked open, and Maya was escorted in.
She looked broken. Her dark hair was tangled, her eyes were bloodshot, and she was shivering in the oversized orange jumpsuit. When she saw me, she stopped dead in her tracks, panic flashing across her face.
“Mr. Hale,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I swear to you, I didn't—”
“Sit down, Maya,” I said softly, standing up and pulling out a metal chair for her.
She sat, her hands trembling in her lap. She looked terrified, expecting me to threaten her with decades in prison.
“Ethan told me everything,” I said.
Maya’s head snapped up. Her breath hitched, and a fresh wave of tears spilled over her cheeks. She covered her mouth with her hands, letting out a stifled, agonizing sob. “He told you? Oh, thank God. Thank God.”
“He told me she planted the jewelry,” I continued, leaning forward, resting my elbows on the cold steel table. “He told me about the bruises. He told me you protected them.”
Maya nodded, wiping her face. “I tried, Mr. Hale. I tried so hard. But she… she is terrifying. She threatened to have me deported. She threatened to ruin my family back in California. And when you were away on business trips, she would bring men into the house. Strangers. She would lock the boys in the basement for hours so she wouldn't be disturbed.”
My stomach dropped into an icy abyss. “Men?”
“Yes,” Maya said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But mostly one man. A lawyer, I think. Tall, blonde. They called him Marcus. They spent hours in your study. I overheard them talking once. Mr. Hale… they weren't just stealing from you.”
“What were they doing?” I demanded, the blood roaring in my ears.
Maya looked around the empty room, as if Vivian’s shadows could reach her even here. “I heard them talking about your medical records. About the life insurance policies. Vivian was complaining that the poison was taking too long. She said you were too resilient, and they needed to increase the dosage.”
The room spun.
I suddenly thought about the last six months. The chronic fatigue. The unexplained migraines. The times I had collapsed in my office, which my personal physician—a man Vivian had recommended—diagnosed as simple "stress and overwork." She wasn't just stealing from my children. She was slowly, methodically killing me.
“Maya,” I said, reaching across the table and taking her trembling hands in mine. “I am going to get you out of here. I have my best corporate attorneys filing a motion to drop the charges right now. But I need you to stay hidden for a few days. If Vivian knows you are free, she will accelerate her plans.”
“What about the boys?” Maya panicked, her grip tightening on my hands. “She’ll hurt them if I’m not there to stop her!”
“She will never touch them again,” I vowed, the icy resolve freezing solid in my chest. “I am sending them to my sister’s ranch in Wyoming today under the guise of a sudden family trip. They will be surrounded by private security.”
May you like
Maya let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for days. “What are you going to do to her, Mr. Hale?”
I stood up, adjusting my suit jacket, my eyes harder than diamonds. “I am going to let Vivian host the biggest charity gala of the season this Saturday at the estate. I’m going to let her put on her diamond gowns and invite all her elite friends. And then, I am going to burn her kingdom to the absolute ground.”
