Chasing The Wife He Forced To Divorce

CHAPTER NINE: ELENA IS NEXT

"She said Elena is next."

The words shattered whatever calm I had left. My entire body went cold.

"What?"

Nobody answered immediately. The paramedic looked shaken, Adrian's face lost color, Marcus swore under his breath, even Victor looked surprised. That terrified me more than anything because Victor never looked surprised, not once, not tonight, not after the explosion, not after the fire, not after the bodies. Yet somehow those four words affected him. My pulse hammered violently.

"What does that mean?"

The question came out louder than intended. Nobody answered again. Always secrets, always silence, always somebody deciding what I should know. I was done with it. Completely done. I pointed at the paramedic

"What exactly did she say?"

The man swallowed.

"Those were her exact words."

Fear crawled through me slowly, cold and relentless. Elena is next. Next for what? Another attack? Another murder? Another explosion? My breathing became uneven. Marcus immediately stepped closer.

"Easy."

I jerked away.

"Don't."

His expression tightened.

"You're upset."

"Of course I'm upset."

My voice cracked.

"Somebody just announced my future death."

The words echoed between us. Nobody denied them, nobody called me dramatic, that alone made everything worse because deep down, they were thinking the same thing. Adrian turned towards the police chief.

"Get her out of here."

"No."

I stepped back. His jaw tightened.

"Elena."

"No."

The anger returned instantly.

"I'm not running."

"You don't understand what's happening."

I laughed bitterly.

"When exactly was I supposed to understand?"

The question landed hard. His expression changed. Guilt, real guilt. He deserved it for the lies, for the manipulation, for keeping pieces of my life hidden, for deciding what I could handle. My chest hurt not from fear, from betrayal again. Always him. Victor suddenly spoke

"They've accelerated the timeline."

Everyone turned. The police chief frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Victor looked toward the burning warehouse.

"It means they're desperate."

Marcus crossed his arms.

"Who?"

Victor's smile disappeared.

"The people behind the list."

Silence followed. The flames continued roaring in the distance, the smoke seemed darker and heavier now like the night itself had become dangerous. I hated that feeling. Victor looked directly at me.

"They didn't expect you to start remembering."

My stomach dropped. The memory, the fragments, the voices, the silver object. My pulse accelerated.

"I don't remember anything."

Victor didn't look convinced.

"Your mind does."

I hated how certain he sounded. Before I could respond, shouting erupted near the ambulances. Everyone turned. An officer was running towards us fast, too fast. Something was wrong, very wrong. The officer reached the police chief breathing hard.

"We have a problem."

The chief frowned.

"What now?"

The officer looked pale.

"The body is gone."

Silence. Complete silence. I blinked

"What?"

The officer swallowed.

"The male victim."

Nobody moved, nobody breathed. The police chief stared.

"Explain."

The officer looked terrified.

"When firefighters entered the building, there was definitely a body."

Fear gripped my chest then he continued

"But when investigators returned..."

His voice faltered.

"It wasn't there."

The world seemed to stop. No! That wasn't possible. Bodies didn't disappear. Not from the crime scenes, not from burning buildings. Marcus looked stunned. Adrian's expression darkened immediately, Victor closed his eyes almost like he expected this. The police chief cursed

"Search everywhere."

Officers immediately scattered, running and shouting. Radio messages exploded across the scene. Chaos returned. I turned toward Victor.

"You knew."

His eyes met mine.

"I suspected."

The answer made me furious.

"Stop doing that."

His eyebrows lifted.

"Doing what?"

"Talking in riddles."

My voice echoed across the harbor.

"I'm tired."

The confession slipped out raw, honest and painful.

"I'm tired of being treated like a child."

Nobody spoke. Good. Let them listen for once.

"My parents died."

I pointed toward the fire.

"People are getting attacked."

I looked at Adrian.

"You knew my father."

Then Marcus.

"You've been hiding things too."

Finally Victor.

"And you keep appearing with answers but never enough answers."

My chest rose sharply.

"So somebody tell me the truth."

The silence that followed felt endless then Victor sighed.

"The truth?"

His eyes darkened.

"The truth is your father didn't die because of the list."

Confusion hit instantly.

"What?"

Marcus froze, Adrian's head snapped toward Victor. The reaction alone terrified me. Victor continued.

"He died because of you."

The world tilted. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't process the words.

"What?"

My voice barely existed. Victor looked genuinely sorry.

"Your father discovered something the night he died."

My pulse thundered.

"What?"

Victor hesitated. For the first time he actually hesitated then he answered.

"The reason you were being hunted."

Every sound disappeared. The harbor, the fire, the shouting, everything.

Hunted? Me? At four years old? That made no sense. None. Victor looked directly into my eyes.

"You were never an ordinary child, Elena."

Fear exploded inside me. The kind that reached bone, the kind that changed everything. Before I could demand an explanation, a gunshot suddenly shattered the night.

Bang! People screamed, officers ducked. Another shot followed. Bang! Marcus grabbed my arm, Adrian moved instantly. Victor cursed then I saw it. A red laser dot steady, precise resting directly on my chest. Someone was aiming me and somewhere in the darkness, a sniper pulled the trigger.