Chapter 3 - Someone Had Been Studying My Heart Rate for Three Months, and Victor’s Private Ledger Revealed He Was Tracking My Exact ReactionsWe searched Victor's private office.
He wasn't there.
That was deliberate.
He had left early.
Perhaps he knew.
Perhaps he was simply following his normal routine.
Either way, I didn't care.
I wanted his records.
The room was immaculate.
Too immaculate.
Victor hated clutter.
He kept almost everything digital.
But there was one locked drawer.
I opened it.
Inside was a black notebook.
Handwritten.
I read the first page.
Dates.
Times.
Dosages.
Heart rates.
Blood pressure.
Episodes.
It was my medical life.
Every detail.
I turned the page.
March 11.
“Heart rate increased 27%.”
May 22.
“Reaction mild.”
July 3.
“Insufficient.”
I stared.
The final entry was dated yesterday.
Next attempt: 8:15 p.m.
I stopped breathing.
Last night's pill.
Sophia had interrupted it at 8:12.
That was not coincidence.
He had planned the dose for 8:15.
The three missing minutes suddenly mattered.
I called Gabriel.
“Find Victor.”
He answered immediately.
“We have a problem.”
“What?”
“Victor left the estate at 7:58.”
“Where?”
“Unknown.”
I looked at the notebook.
“Find out.”
Then I noticed another page.
A list of names.
Doctors.
Pharmacists.
A hospital administrator.
A private security contractor.
And one name that made my stomach drop.
Elena Salvatore.
Sophia's mother.
I stared.
Why was Elena on the list?
I called her downstairs.
She saw the notebook.
Her face changed.
“That isn't what you think.”
“Then explain.”
“I've never worked with Victor.”
“Your name is here.”
She cried.
“Because he threatened me.”
“With what?”
“Sophia.”
I looked at the child.
“What did he want?”
“He wanted me to tell him when you took your medication.”
My jaw tightened.
“Did you?”
“Only once.”
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
“Why?”
“He said he'd hurt Sophia.”
I looked at the timeline.
March 11.
The first event.
She had told him.
That was when the pattern began.
“You should have told me.”
“I was afraid.”
“I know.”
She looked at me.
“I didn't know he was trying to kill you.”
Neither did I.
Not until now.
Then Sophia walked into the room.
She held another drawing.
This one showed four people.
Me.
Victor.
Elena.
A little girl.
At the top was a large red circle.
Inside:
FRIEND.
At the bottom:
LIAR.
I looked at her.
“Who is the liar?”
She pointed at Victor.
My trust had become something else.
Then I noticed a fifth figure.
A man behind Victor.
I didn't recognize him.
“Who is that?”
Sophia frowned.
“He comes at night.”
“Who?”
“He wears the same watch.”
I looked at the drawing.
A silver watch.
My grandfather's old watch.
The same design my family used for years.
I felt cold.
Victor might not be alone.
May you like
He might be working for someone inside my own family.
And suddenly, twenty-five years of trust looked like something far more dangerous.
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