chapter eighteen
730 Words
The Voice in the Recording
Ethan didn’t wait to get to his office.
He played the audio in the car.
Ryan’s voice came first.
Then static.
Then another voice.
Sophia.
Weak. Controlled. But clear enough to recognize.
“I told you… I can’t stay there anymore,” Sophia said.
A pause.
Then a man’s voice replied.
Calm. Too calm.
“You don’t have a choice anymore.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
Ryan leaned slightly forward.
“There’s more,” he said.
The recording continued.
Sophia’s voice shook.
“If you go after Maya… she doesn’t know anything about this.”
Silence.
That name landed differently.
Ethan’s fingers stiffened slightly.
The man laughed softly.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
A pause.
“She knows more than she thinks.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed instantly.
“What does that mean?” he muttered.
Ryan didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know.
The voice continued.
“She was part of the arrangement from the beginning.”
Sophia’s voice rose slightly.
“No—leave her out of this!”
The man’s tone changed.
Colder.
“Too late.”
The recording ended abruptly.
Silence filled the car.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Ethan replayed the last line in his mind.
She was part of the arrangement from the beginning.
His grip tightened.
“No,” he said quietly.
“That’s not true.”
Ryan looked at him carefully.
“We also traced the recording source,” he said.
Ethan turned instantly.
“And?”
Ryan hesitated.
“It came from inside the Carter family estate system.”
Silence.
Ethan stared at him.
“…What?”
Ryan nodded slowly.
“Someone inside your home is feeding this.”
Ethan didn’t speak for a moment.
Then said quietly:
“Take me home.”
Meanwhile…
At the mansion.
Maya stood in the hallway, holding a glass of water she didn’t drink.
Ethan had been gone too long.
Too quiet.
Too uncertain.
Her thoughts kept circling back to one thing.
She was part of the arrangement from the beginning.
A soft sound behind her made her turn.
Margaret stood there.
But her expression was different tonight.
Not warm.
Not calm.
Careful.
“Mrs. Carter,” she said softly.
Maya frowned.
“Yes?”
Margaret hesitated.
“Someone is waiting for you in the study.”
Maya’s heart tightened.
“…Who?”
Margaret looked away.
“I was told not to say.”
A cold feeling spread through Maya’s chest.
Slowly, she walked toward the study.
Each step heavier than the last.
The door was slightly open.
She pushed it gently.
And froze.
Inside stood a man she had never seen before.
Well dressed.
Calm.
Familiar in a way that made her uneasy.
He turned slowly.
And smiled.
“Maya Bennett,” he said.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Maya stepped back instantly.
“Who are you?”
The man tilted his head slightly.
“You really don’t remember me?”
A pause.
Then softly:
“I’m the one who helped arrange your marriage.”
Maya’s breath stopped.
“…What?”
The man smiled wider.
“And I was also the last person Sophia spoke to before she disappeared.”
Silence.
Maya’s heart pounded violently.
“What did you do to her?” she whispered.
The man didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped closer.
“You should be asking what she did.”
A car pulled into the driveway outside.
Headlights flashing across the mansion windows.
Ethan had returned.
Inside the study, the man lowered his voice.
“Be careful, Maya,” he said softly.
“Because when Ethan finds out the full truth…”
He paused.
“You might not be the victim in his eyes anymore.”
Maya’s hands trembled.
“That’s not true,” she said quickly.
The man smiled calmly.
“Let’s see how long that certainty lasts.”
Footsteps approached the hallway.
Fast.
Ethan.
The man stepped back casually.
“Perfect timing,” he murmured.
The door opened.
Ethan walked in.
And instantly—
His eyes locked on the man.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Ethan spoke quietly.
“…You.”
The man smiled slightly.
“Good evening, Ethan.”
Maya stood between them.
Confused.
Shaking.
Caught in the middle of something far bigger than she understood.
And for the first time…
Ethan didn’t look at her with certainty.
He looked at her with questions.
- Writer
