Chapter 25: The Driver's Secret
999 Words
For a moment, nobody moved.
The receptionist stood quietly by the door, waiting for someone to respond.
Ethan was the first to find his voice.
"Where is he?"
"Downstairs," she replied. "He said he wouldn't leave until he spoke to both of you."
Marcus frowned.
"This could be a trap."
"It could," Ethan agreed.
"But if it's really him, we've been looking for answers for five years."
I folded Richard Vance's letter carefully and slipped it back into its envelope.
"I want to hear what he has to say."
---
The lobby of the law firm was almost empty.
Near the window stood a man in his late sixties.
His gray jacket looked worn, and he held an old cap tightly between his hands.
The moment he saw us, his shoulders tensed.
"You came."
His voice was rough, as though he hadn't spoken much lately.
I studied his face.
There was something familiar about him.
Not because I remembered him clearly...
But because I had spent years trying to forget that night.
Ethan stepped forward.
"You said you drove Zara after the divorce."
The man nodded.
"My name is Samuel Brooks."
"I was employed by the Vance family for nearly twenty years."
Marcus didn't waste time.
"Why disappear?"
Samuel lowered his eyes.
"Because I was told to."
"By Eleanor?" I asked.
He looked at me.
"Yes."
Silence settled over us.
I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
Samuel took a slow breath.
"I've carried this guilt for years."
"I should have spoken sooner."
"What happened that night?" Ethan asked quietly.
The old driver rubbed his hands together.
"I remember everything."
---
"It was raining harder than I'd ever seen."
"Mrs. Vance called me around nine that evening."
"She told me to bring the car to the front entrance."
"I thought I was picking up guests."
His voice shook.
"Instead..."
"I found you standing outside."
He looked at me with obvious regret.
"You were soaked."
"You only had two suitcases."
"You kept asking if Mr. Vance would come outside."
I felt my throat tighten.
I remembered.
Every terrible second.
Samuel swallowed hard.
"I wanted to help."
"But Mrs. Vance was standing in the doorway."
"She told the security guards not to let you back inside."
Ethan slowly closed his eyes.
Samuel continued.
"You kept saying there had been a mistake."
"You begged to speak to Ethan."
"I remember that."
His voice cracked.
"You weren't angry."
"You were heartbroken."
Tears filled my eyes.
I hadn't spoken about that night in years.
Not like this.
"I finally helped you into the car."
"You cried almost the entire journey."
"I asked where you wanted to go."
"You didn't answer for a long time."
Then he looked directly at me.
"Finally, you whispered..."
"'Take me anywhere except back there.'"
I covered my mouth.
I didn't even remember saying those words.
But hearing them now...
They felt painfully real.
---
Ethan stood perfectly still.
His face had lost all color.
"I never knew."
"No," Samuel replied.
"You couldn't."
Marcus folded his arms.
"Why not?"
Samuel looked ashamed.
"Because Mrs. Vance told me Mr. Ethan had already left."
"She said he never wanted to see Zara again."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"I believed her."
Samuel nodded sadly.
"She ordered every employee to stay silent."
"Anyone who spoke to either of you would lose their job."
Marcus muttered under his breath.
"Unbelievable."
"But that's not why I came today."
Samuel reached into his jacket pocket.
"I kept something."
He pulled out a small silver object.
It was old.
Slightly scratched.
He placed it carefully on the table.
My breath caught.
It was a necklace.
A tiny silver heart hung from the chain.
I knew it instantly.
"My necklace."
Samuel nodded.
"It broke when you fell outside the house."
"You didn't notice."
"I picked it up."
"I meant to return it."
"But..."
He looked away.
"I lost my courage."
I picked it up carefully.
The metal felt cold against my fingertips.
Inside the tiny heart was a faded photograph.
Ethan and me.
Taken years before everything fell apart.
Neither of us spoke.
---
"There is something else," Samuel said quietly.
Marcus looked at him.
"What?"
"I wasn't the only person outside that night."
Every head turned toward him.
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
Samuel hesitated.
"I saw another car parked across the street."
"It stayed there for nearly an hour."
"Who was inside?" I asked.
"I couldn't see clearly."
"But..."
He frowned.
"There was a woman."
My stomach tightened.
"The same woman?"
Samuel slowly nodded.
"The woman whose picture was shown on television yesterday."
Marcus looked confused.
"What picture?"
I immediately pulled out my phone.
Claire had sent me the still image from TechEdge's security cameras earlier that day.
I opened it and handed it to Samuel.
His eyes widened.
"That's her."
"You're sure?"
"I'd swear on my life."
The room fell silent again.
That meant the mysterious woman had been watching the house...
Five years ago.
Long before the leaked documents.
Long before the custody battle.
Long before Eleanor openly declared war.
Marcus spoke first.
"So this wasn't something Eleanor started recently."
"No," Samuel whispered.
"It started years ago."
Before anyone could say another word, Ethan's phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
"It’s Claire."
He answered immediately.
"Claire?"
Her voice came through so loudly that all of us could hear it.
"Mr. Vance... you need to get to TechEdge right now."
"What happened?"
She sounded close to tears.
"The police just arrived."
"They're not here about the leak."
A cold feeling spread through my chest.
"Then why are they there?" I asked.
Claire took a shaky breath.
"They have a warrant."
"They're here to arrest..."
She stopped for a second.
Then she finished the sentence.
"...Marcus."
The room fell into stunned silence.
Marcus slowly lowered his head.
Then, almost to himself, he whispered,
"I was wondering how long it would take Eleanor to make her next move.”
- Writer
