chapter 10
607 Words
The Missing Truth
Ethan didn’t sleep that night.
The file on his desk stayed open until morning, untouched, like it was waiting to change itself.
But it didn’t.
Reality stayed the same.
Maya Bennett.
Sophia Bennett.
A missing bride.
And a marriage that suddenly felt like a trap instead of an accident.
At dawn, Ryan entered the office again.
“You didn’t go home,” he said carefully.
Ethan didn’t look up.
“Talk.”
Ryan placed a new folder down.
“We tracked the car that appears near the bridal suite around the time Sophia disappeared.”
Ethan finally turned.
“And?”
Ryan hesitated.
“It belongs to Carter Group.”
Silence.
Ethan’s expression hardened instantly.
“That’s impossible.”
Ryan nodded quickly.
“I know. But it’s registered under an internal executive transport code.”
Ethan slowly stood.
“Which executive?”
Ryan looked uneasy.
“…Your father’s office.”
The room went cold.
For the first time, Ethan didn’t have an immediate answer.
Because if this was true…
Then this wasn’t just a disappearance.
It was a setup.
Meanwhile…
At the mansion, Maya woke up with a strange feeling.
Not peace.
Not rest.
But pressure.
Like something was coming.
Margaret knocked gently.
“Mrs. Carter… you have a visitor.”
Maya frowned.
“A visitor?”
Margaret nodded.
“From your family.”
Maya’s stomach tightened immediately.
In the living room, Mr. Bennett stood waiting.
But he didn’t look like the same man she saw days ago.
He looked… worried in a different way.
“Maya,” he said quietly.
“What is it?” she asked immediately.
A pause.
Then he spoke.
“We need to talk about Sophia.”
Her heart dropped.
“Did you find her?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
Then lowered his voice.
“But someone contacted us.”
Maya stepped forward.
“Who?”
Mr. Bennett hesitated.
“…They said Sophia didn’t disappear by accident.”
Maya froze.
“What does that mean?”
Her father looked at her carefully.
“It means someone planned it.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Unbearable.
Maya whispered,
“…Why are you telling me this?”
Because then he said the words that changed everything.
“Because they also said… the target was not Sophia.”
Maya felt her breath stop.
“…It was you.”
Back at Carter Group…
Ethan slammed the file shut.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.
Ryan watched him carefully.
“There’s more,” Ryan said.
Ethan looked up sharply.
Ryan lowered his voice.
“The person using the car that night… wasn’t just tied to your father.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
A pause.
“…Someone inside your marriage arrangement.”
The words hit differently.
Not professionally.
Not politically.
Personally.
Ethan whispered,
“Maya…”
But even he didn’t know why her name came out like that.
As accusation…
Or fear.
That evening…
Maya sat alone in her room, staring at her phone.
One message.
Unknown number.
“Stop asking questions about Sophia.”
Her hands trembled.
Another message came instantly.
“Or you become the next missing one.”
And far away…
Sophia was forced into a car.
The man from the terminal leaned closer.
“You should’ve stayed gone.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I didn’t do anything.”
He smirked.
“You’re not the one we care about anymore.”
He closed the door.
And the car drove into the dark.
Back at the mansion…
Maya stood up slowly.
Something inside her finally snapped.
“If I stay silent…”
She whispered.
“…someone dies.”
- Writer
