Chapter 9 — The Secret Behind the Cliff
1240 Words
Samantha didn't sleep that night.
The caller's words echoed inside her mind repeatedly.
"You've been hunting the wrong monster."
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard the voice again.
Cold.
Calm.
Certain.
As if he knew something she didn't.
Something important.
Something dangerous.
At dawn, Samantha stood near the penthouse window staring at the city below.
For the first time since beginning her revenge, doubt crept into her heart.
What if Samuel wasn't the only person responsible?
What if someone else had been involved from the beginning?
The possibility terrified her.
Because if that was true...
Then she knew far less than she thought.
---
Across the room, Shiv woke up and immediately noticed the exhaustion on her face.
"You didn't sleep."
It wasn't a question.
Samantha sighed.
"No."
Shiv walked toward her.
"What happened?"
Without speaking, Samantha handed him her phone.
He read the details of both mysterious calls.
The more he read, the darker his expression became.
"I don't like this."
"Neither do I."
Shiv looked at her seriously.
"I think someone is playing games."
"You think they're lying?"
"I think someone wants you confused."
Samantha wished she could believe that.
But something deep inside told her otherwise.
The caller sounded genuine.
Too genuine.
---
Later that morning, Samantha and Shiv met Detective Marcus Hayes.
The detective looked exhausted.
Several files covered his desk.
Most contained information about Samuel.
Others contained information about the mysterious Daniel Cross.
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"We found something."
Samantha immediately sat forward.
"What?"
Marcus opened a folder.
Inside was a photograph.
An old photograph.
Nearly fifteen years old.
Samantha stared at it.
Then her eyes widened.
Because standing beside Samuel in the picture...
Was a younger version of Daniel Cross.
---
Shiv frowned.
"They knew each other?"
Marcus nodded.
"Very well."
Samantha's pulse quickened.
The photograph showed teenage Samuel and Daniel standing together at a boarding school.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Looking like best friends.
"What happened to him?"
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
"Officially?"
"Yes."
"He died in a boating accident five years ago."
"And unofficially?"
Marcus hesitated.
Then answered.
"We never found a body."
Silence filled the room.
Samantha felt a chill crawl down her spine.
No body.
No proof.
No certainty.
---
Meanwhile, across the city...
A black SUV stopped outside an abandoned warehouse.
A man stepped out.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Black coat.
His face hidden beneath sunglasses.
He walked inside calmly.
Samuel was waiting.
The moment he saw the man, anger exploded across his face.
"You called her!"
The stranger smiled.
"And?"
"You promised to stay hidden."
The man laughed softly.
"You've become careless, Samuel."
Samuel clenched his fists.
"You're ruining everything."
The stranger's smile disappeared.
"No."
His voice turned cold.
"You ruined everything the moment you failed to kill her."
Samuel froze.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then the stranger stepped closer.
"If Samantha learns the truth..."
His eyes darkened.
"...both of us go to prison."
---
Back at the police station, Marcus revealed another discovery.
"The night Samantha fell from the cliff..."
He slid several documents across the table.
"There were two vehicles nearby."
Samantha's heart skipped.
Two?
Not one?
Marcus nodded.
"Samuel's car."
He pointed to the first record.
Then pointed to the second.
"And another vehicle registered under Daniel Cross."
The room went silent.
Samantha felt sick.
Because now the caller's words made sense.
Someone else really had been there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Involved.
---
That evening, Samantha insisted on visiting the cliff again.
The same cliff.
The same place where her life changed forever.
Shiv refused to let her go alone.
As sunset painted the sky orange, they arrived.
The location looked exactly the same.
The crashing waves below.
The sharp rocks.
The endless ocean.
Samantha's chest tightened.
Memories flooded back instantly.
Samuel's face.
His hands pushing her.
His voice saying,
"I never loved you."
Pain stabbed through her heart.
Even after two years, the memory still hurt.
---
Shiv quietly took her hand.
The simple gesture steadied her.
Together they walked toward the edge.
Then Samantha noticed something strange.
Near the cliff path stood an old wooden cross.
Weathered.
Forgotten.
Hidden among bushes.
She frowned.
"Was that always there?"
Shiv shook his head.
They approached carefully.
Something had been carved into the wood.
Samantha brushed away dirt.
Then froze.
Her name.
SAMANTHA REED
Carved into the cross.
Below it were two dates.
Her birth year.
And the year Samuel tried to kill her.
As if someone had already buried her.
As if someone had celebrated her death.
A cold shiver ran through her body.
---
Suddenly—
A twig snapped nearby.
Both Samantha and Shiv turned instantly.
Someone was watching them.
Hidden among the trees.
Shiv immediately stepped in front of Samantha.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Then movement.
A shadow disappeared deeper into the forest.
Without hesitation, Shiv chased after it.
---
The forest was dark.
Dense.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Shiv followed the figure between trees.
Branches scraped against him.
Leaves crunched beneath his feet.
The shadow moved quickly.
Almost as if it knew the terrain perfectly.
Finally, Shiv reached a clearing.
Empty.
The figure was gone.
But something remained.
An envelope.
Lying on the ground.
Waiting.
---
Back at the cliff, Samantha anxiously waited.
Ten minutes later Shiv returned carrying the envelope.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
Carefully, they opened it.
Inside was another photograph.
But this one changed everything.
Samantha nearly dropped it.
Because the picture showed Samuel.
And Daniel Cross.
Standing together at the cliff.
The very night she was attacked.
The timestamp was clearly visible.
The exact date.
The exact time.
Proof.
Real proof.
Daniel had been there.
---
Beneath the photograph was a note.
Written in black ink.
Three sentences.
Samuel pushed you.
Daniel watched.
But neither of them planned it alone.
Samantha felt her blood turn cold.
"What does that mean?"
Shiv stared at the note.
His expression became grim.
"There's a third person."
---
The drive home felt endless.
Neither of them spoke much.
Both were lost in thought.
A third person.
Someone powerful enough to remain hidden for two years.
Someone connected to Samuel.
Connected to Daniel.
Connected to the attempt on Samantha's life.
But who?
And why?
---
Meanwhile, Samuel sat alone inside his mansion.
The once-luxurious house felt empty now.
Isabella was gone.
His company was gone.
His reputation was gone.
Everything was falling apart.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Unknown Number.
Only one sentence.
She found the photograph.
Samuel's face turned pale.
Immediately he called the number.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Again.
Still nothing.
For the first time, genuine panic entered his eyes.
Because he realized something horrifying.
Someone was leaking secrets.
Someone who knew everything.
Someone who wanted Samantha to uncover the truth.
And that person was getting closer.
---
Late that night, Samantha sat alone reviewing the photograph again.
Her eyes studied every detail.
Every shadow.
Every expression.
Every clue.
Then suddenly...
She noticed something.
A reflection in the background.
Barely visible.
Standing near Samuel's car.
A woman.
The image was blurry.
But it was definitely a woman.
Samantha's heart raced.
A third person.
Not a man.
A woman.
Someone who had been there that night.
Someone connected to everything.
Someone still hidden in the shadows.
As thunder echoed outside her window, Samantha stared at the photograph.
And for the first time...
She realized the truth was far bigger than revenge.
The real nightmare had only just begun.
To Be Continued...
- Writer
