Chapter 9: Echoes of the Past
The heavy silence that followed Eleanor’s near-confession was deafening. Even the medical attendants seemed to hold their breath, sensing the dark, suffocating gravity shifting in the foyer. Eleanor’s chest heaved erratically, her lower lip trembling as she stared up at her husband, her mind desperately scrambling to build a new lie over the crater of her own mistake.
""Nothing,"" she muttered, her voice dropping into a sullen, venomous hiss as she slumped slightly against the attendants. ""You always twist my words. You’ve been looking for an excuse to discard me for years. Go ahead. Lock me away in your sanitariums. See how long your precious company survives when the society columnists find out what kind of monster runs behind closed doors.""
Arthur didn't take the bait. He recognized the classic narcissistic deflection—turning herself into the ultimate martyr while hiding bodies in the basement. But her slip of the tongue had planted a terrifying, ice-cold seed of suspicion in his mind. *Just like who?*
""Take her away,"" Arthur commanded quietly, turning his back on her without another word.
""Arthur! Arthur, you can't do this to me! ARTHUR!"" Her shrieks echoed off the marble walls, growing fainter as the medical team escorted her through the reinforced side doors toward the waiting transport vehicle. The heavy steel doors locked shut with a definitive, mechanical click, sealing her fate and cutting off the toxic noise that had poisoned the estate for years.
Arthur stood alone in the foyer for a long moment, the silence rushing in to fill the vacuum. The mansion felt different now—lighter, cleaner, yet haunted by the invisible ghosts of what had transpired within its walls. He pulled out his phone and dialed Marcus Vance’s direct line.
""Marcus,"" Arthur said without preamble. ""I want a complete forensic audit of every property we own, every medical record associated with my wife over the past ten years, and check the background of any domestic staff who left our employ abruptly. I want to know everything about Eleanor’s past before she entered my life.""
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""You suspect there's more?"" Marcus asked on the other end of the line, his tone sharpening instantly.
""I know there is,"" Arthur replied, walking slowly toward the staircase. ""She almost said something about someone burning. Dig deep, Marcus. I want every skeleton she ever buried dragged out into the harsh light of day.""
