Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Past
With the bankruptcy proceedings finalized and the Cross empire reduced to rubble, the focus shifted to the upcoming criminal trial.
I was staying at my parents' private estate in the countryside—a sprawling stone manor surrounded by ancient oak trees and quiet lakes. Dr. Aris visited every afternoon to perform eye flushes and check my corneal healing. The vision in my left eye had fully recovered, while the right eye was showing remarkable progress, though a faint scar remained near the edge of my pupil.
One evening, as I sat on the terrace drinking warm chamomile tea, Mother walked out holding two thick leather-bound folders.
"What are those?" I asked, setting my cup down.
"The background investigation files our private investigators compiled on the Cross family before your wedding," Mother said, sitting beside me. "I didn't show them to you back then because you were so happy, so convinced that Daniel was a good man who just came from a strict family."
I took one of the folders and opened it. The top page contained a series of court records dating back eight years.
"What is this?" I frowned, scanning the text.
"Daniel was married once before," Mother revealed softly. "Eight years ago, when he was twenty-two. Her name was Sarah Jennings. She was an art student working part-time at one of their boutique hotels."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "He told me he had never been engaged, let alone married."
"They kept it entirely hidden from the press," Mother explained. "Sarah was with him for nine months. Vivian treated her the exact same way—used her as an unpaid servant, humiliated her publicly, and isolated her from her friends. When Sarah tried to leave, Vivian threatened to have her father fired from his state job."
"What happened to her?" I breathed, my fingers tightening on the edge of the paper.
"She took a small cash settlement to sign a non-disclosure agreement and fled to Europe," Mother said, her voice dropping. "Our legal team tracked her down in Vienna three days ago. When she heard what Vivian and Daniel did to you... she agreed to break the NDA and fly back to testify as a character witness for the prosecution."
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A tear slipped from beneath my optical shield, tracing a path down my cheek. "She was just like me."
"No, Clara," Mother corrected gently, wiping the tear away with her thumb. "She was alone. You are a Hart. And between Sarah's testimony, your video evidence, and the financial audit, Daniel and Vivian are going to face the full, unmitigated weight of the law."
