Chapter 5 - The Husband Who Vanished
For twelve hours, no one knew where Roman was.
The police searched.
Arthur searched.
I searched.
Nothing.
Then at noon, a black envelope arrived.
Inside was Roman's wedding ring.
I stopped breathing.
Arthur took it from my hands.
“He wouldn't surrender this willingly.”
The message was simple.
COME ALONE.
I almost laughed.
Roman would have hated this plan.
I picked up my coat.
Arthur blocked the door.
“No.”
“Arthur.”
“He wants you isolated.”
“I know.”
“Then you don't go.”
I looked at him.
“I have spent my whole life being told where I belong.”
Arthur's expression softened.
“But you married the one man who lets you decide.”
“Exactly.”
We found the location.
An old church in Brooklyn.
I entered alone.
Roman was there.
Tied to a chair.
Blood marked his shirt.
My heart broke.
“Roman.”
His eyes lifted.
“Sadi, don't come closer.”
I ignored him.
Vincent stepped from behind the altar.
“You actually came.”
“Let him go.”
Vincent smiled.
“You know, I underestimated you.”
“Most people do.”
He laughed.
“That's what makes this so interesting.”
He wanted the ledger destroyed.
I held it up.
“I brought it.”
“Give it to me.”
I walked forward.
“First release him.”
Vincent signaled.
Two men loosened Roman's restraints.
Roman stood.
Then he said something unexpected.
“You can keep the ledger.”
Vincent frowned.
“What?”
Roman looked at me.
“Because it isn't the only copy.”
Vincent froze.
“What did you do?”
Roman smiled.
“Arthur.”
The church doors opened.
Police stormed in.
Vincent was arrested.
Roman looked at me.
“You shouldn't have come.”
“I know.”
“You disobeyed me.”
“I know.”
He stared.
Then hugged me.
Hard.
I buried my face against his chest.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I wasn't.”
“I don't care.”
His arms tightened.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For making you afraid.”
When we returned home, Roman finally told me the truth.
He had made a secret second copy of the ledger and sent it to federal investigators.
Vincent had been building a financial network across several companies.
Trevor had helped him.
Chloe agreed to testify.
And Richard Valen's old crimes were about to become public.
But there was one more mystery.
My mother's death.
The police reopened the investigation.
A former hospital administrator came forward.
She had been seventeen when it happened.
She remembered receiving an anonymous payment to alter Elena's records.
The payment came from an account controlled by Richard.
But the name attached to the account was not Richard.
It was mine.
Sadi Morrow.
Someone had been using my identity.
The investigator looked at me.
“Do you know who had access to your birth records?”
I shook my head.
Then Roman suddenly spoke.
“My father's assistant.”
Arthur frowned.
“What was his name?”
“Daniel Cross.”
The room went silent.
Daniel Cross was still alive.
May you like
And he was now the chairman of one of Manhattan's biggest law firms.
The same law firm currently representing Vincent Hale.
