“So are you,” I replied.
Daniel’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
“How are you feeling?”
“Clear.”
That single word shifted the air.
Victoria’s eyes moved immediately to the bedside table.
The folder wasn’t there.
“Where are the documents?” she asked, her tone tightening.
I lifted my coffee slowly.
“Safe.”
Daniel set his cup down harder than necessary.
“Elena, don’t start this.”
I turned toward him.
“Start what? The part where you drugged your wife on your wedding night?”
His face drained.
Victoria recovered first.
“Careful,” she said smoothly. “False accusations can destroy a person.”
“No,” I said quietly.
“Evidence can.”
I reached for my phone.
Pressed play.
Daniel’s voice filled the room.
“She drank it.”
Then Victoria’s.
“When she’s unconscious, bring the papers.”
Daniel moved instantly.
Too fast.
But he didn’t get far.
The door opened before he reached me.
Priya stepped in first.
Followed by two uniformed officers.
Then Malik, from my legal team.
And finally—
Judge Armand.
Daniel froze.
Victoria’s lips parted.
No sound came out.
Malik stepped forward, placing a sealed envelope on the table with precise calm.
“Mrs. Varela-Hale,” he said, “under the estate’s fraud-protection clause, we have filed emergency injunctions.”
