Chapter 2
The bright, high-contrast lighting of the grand living room cast dramatic, tense shadows across the mahogany coffin. Daniel slowly lowered Elena's hand back onto the white satin. As he did, the sleeve of her white lace gown shifted slightly. Daniel’s breath hitched in his throat. Right there, stark against her fair, pale skin, were distinctive purple bruises. They wrapped around her wrist and trailed up the side of her neck, partially hidden by the high collar of the gown.
"What happened to her neck?" Daniel demanded, his voice thick with tears but sudden alarm. He turned his head slightly, his dark hair falling across his forehead as he glared at his brother.
Marcus let out a soft, dismissive sigh. "The paramedics were rough, Daniel. You know how chaotic it was when we found her on the floor of the study. They tried to revive her. It was a tragedy, but it was natural."
"Bruises like this don't look natural, Marcus," Daniel argued, leaning closer to examine the dark marks. "They look like fingers. Someone grabbed her."
The Mother stepped forward, the pearls around her neck clicking softly against the black velvet of her dress. Her expression was a flawless mask of rehearsed shock and sorrow. "Daniel, you are letting your grief cloud your mind. The medical examiner was perfectly clear. It was a sudden, catastrophic complication with the pregnancy. Her heart simply gave out."
"She was perfectly healthy yesterday morning," Daniel insisted, his hands gripping the edge of the mahogany wood so tightly his knuckles turned white. "We were reviewing the final audit folder together in the study. She was fine!"
"Stress can do terrible things to a pregnant woman," the Mother replied smoothly, her rosy complexion perfectly composed. "And you had her working on those ridiculous financial audits. I told you that tearing apart the family ledgers would end in disaster."
"The audit was necessary," Daniel snapped, turning to face his mother fully. "Millions of dollars are missing from the family accounts, and Marcus was the last one to touch those ledgers."
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Marcus’s predatory smirk widened slightly. "And now the only person who knew the passwords to those encrypted files is lying in that coffin. It’s a tragedy, Daniel. But it’s time to close the casket and move on."
Daniel turned back to his wife, tears streaming down his face once more. "I failed you, Elena," he whispered to her still form. "I am so sorry."
