CHAPTER TWO: Married to the Enemy
934 Words
Scarlett dropped the phone like it burned. Elias Thorne. Julian’s brother.
She stared at it for a long moment, heart pounding, and breath tight.
Who had she been before the accident?
And why did everyone seem to think she was part of something dangerous?
She moved quickly, tucking the phone back into the coat. But her hands were trembling.
Something told her not to trust anyone not even Julian.
Later That Day
Julian returned home around noon. Casual in a crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up. His smile was warm, eyes alert.
“You look better today.” He placed a light kiss on her forehead.
Scarlett forced a smile. “I feel better. Just trying to make sense of everything.”
He sat beside her on the couch and turned on a tablet. Dozens of photos flicked across the screen of her and Julian together. At restaurants. On a yacht. Laughing. Even kissing.
It looked perfect.
Too perfect.
“I thought showing you this might help jog your memory,” he said.
Scarlett swallowed. “Did we love each other?”
He tilted his head. “We had our rough patches. But yes. I loved you.”
Past tense. Not I love you.
She caught it.
“Why past tense?”
Julian smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Because you’ve changed. You’ve been through trauma. And if I want you to fall in love with me again I have to start fresh, don’t I?”
Her skin prickled. That didn’t sound like love. It sounded like strategy.
Later That Night
Scarlett couldn’t sleep. Again.
The apartment was too quiet. She slipped out of bed and crept into Julian’s study. The door was slightly open.
Inside, papers were stacked neatly. Shelves of books lined the wall. Her gaze landed on a locked drawer in the desk.
She crouched. Tried the handle. Locked.
But there just beside the drawer was a small silver key taped under the desk.
She hesitated.
Then grabbed it and slid it into the lock.
Click.
Inside was a slim folder labeled:
“Project Siren Scarlett Monroe”
Her breath hitched. That was her name.
She opened it. Inside were surveillance photos of her meeting someone in a café. Arguing. Passing something; a USB? To a man whose face was blurred?
Handwritten notes:
“Keeps asking about father’s case.”
“Deleted security logs from ThorneTech servers.”
“Getting reckless.”
Scarlett’s head spun.
A photo clipped at the back showed her at a hospital entrance in tears hugging a middle-aged man in handcuffs.
“Confirmed. Scarlett is his daughter.”
“Objective: monitor and contain.”
“She knows too much.”
She slammed the folder shut.
Julian had been spying on her before they were married.
She didn’t know if she was a criminal or a whistleblower. But either way he’d lied. He’d known everything.
She heard footsteps.
Panic surged. She shoved the file back, locked the drawer, returned the key, and slipped into the hallway just as Julian appeared fresh from the shower, towel slung around his waist.
“Couldn’t sleep again?” he asked smoothly.
“Just getting water,” she said, forcing calm.
He nodded. “Want me to stay with you tonight?”
Scarlett smiled weakly. “That would be nice.”
Inside, she was screaming.
The Next Morning
Julian was gone again. Scarlett grabbed the phone hidden in her coat and called the number again.
Elias picked up immediately.
“I found a folder,” she whispered. “Labeled with my name. Julian’s been watching me since before our marriage.”
“I know,” Elias said. “He married you for leverage.”
Scarlett’s chest tightened. “Leverage for what?”
“Your father used to work for ThorneTech. He was head of cybersecurity. When he found out Julian was laundering through shell companies, he threatened to go public.”
Her throat dried. “So Julian framed him?”
“Yes. Your dad’s in prison for a crime Julian committed. And you, you were the loose thread.”
Scarlett leaned against the wall, dizzy. “Then why marry me?”
“To keep you quiet. Or make you disappear, if needed.” Elias exhaled. “You were helping me build a case. We were so close. Then the accident happened.”
Scarlett blinked. “You think he caused it?”
“I think,” Elias said, “he made sure you wouldn’t remember the truth.”
Same Day, Late Afternoon
Scarlett was sitting alone on the balcony when the maid brought her an envelope. No name, no return address, just a silver seal.
Scarlett opened it slowly.
Inside was a photo of Julian, standing on a pier hugging a woman with long dark hair? Not Scarlett.
The back of the photo read:
“Your husband isn’t grieving. She’s been here the whole time.
Check the safe behind the wine cabinet.”
Scarlett didn’t hesitate.
She found the cabinet moved the wine bottles aside. A small wall safe blinked behind it.
She used the same silver key from earlier and it worked.
Inside was another folder.
This one had a contract with her signature.
“Prenup amendment, full asset transfer upon incapacitation.”
Scarlett gasped.
She never signed this. At least not that she remembered.
But it was dated two days before the accident.
Her hands shook as she pulled out the last paper in the safe.
It was a death certificate.
Scarlett Monroe.
Died: March 14th.
Status: Deceased.
She backed away, heart thundering.
Julian had already declared her dead.
- Writer
