Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO DISAPPEARED
By sunrise, Adrien had called Nora Bellamy seventeen times.
Every call went directly to voicemail.
Sophie watched him from the window as he tried again, his expression growing darker with each unanswered attempt. She understood his frustration, but she also knew that his body was approaching its limits. He had slept barely two hours, and the pain in his leg had returned with an intensity that made him clench his jaw whenever he shifted.
Dr. Morel arrived shortly after seven.
The vascular ultrasound had ruled out a major deep-vein thrombosis, and the specialist found no evidence of an acute arterial blockage. That was reassuring, but the persistent swelling and sensory changes still required close monitoring.
Morel examined Adrien's foot, comparing skin temperature, pulses, sensation, and muscle strength with the previous day's findings.
"Can you feel this?"
He lightly touched the outside of Adrien's foot.
"Yes."
"And here?"
Adrien hesitated.
"Not as clearly."
Morel recorded the response.
"The pressure from the brace may have irritated a peripheral nerve. We can't determine the full extent yet. We'll continue serial examinations and arrange nerve testing at the appropriate stage."
"Will I walk again?"
Morel looked directly at him.
"I can't promise a complete recovery. But your fractures are healing, and there are encouraging signs. We have no medical basis for declaring you permanently disabled."
Adrien let out a breath.
For weeks, Gabriel had spoken as though his future had already been decided.
Morel was the first physician who had given him uncertainty without taking away hope.
"There's something else," Adrien said.
He told Morel about Nora's call.
The physician listened carefully.
"Altered consultation records would be serious," he said. "But the original imaging should remain in the hospital's archive with timestamps and access logs."
"Can those be changed?"
"Electronic systems can be misused. That's why we preserve audit trails and compare records across independent sources."
Adrien nodded.
"Then do it."
Morel explained that the hospital's compliance and information-security teams were already securing the relevant records.
Meanwhile, Claire Beaumont arrived with two investigators from an independent security firm.
The lead investigator, Daniel Mercer, was a former financial crimes detective with a quiet voice and an unnerving ability to notice details.
He introduced himself without unnecessary ceremony.
"Mr. Valmont, our first priority is your daughter."
Adrien immediately agreed.
Daniel arranged for Lila to remain in a secured family suite under the supervision of caregivers Adrien personally approved. The hospital also began reviewing visitor permissions.
Then Daniel asked about Nora.
Adrien repeated the conversation word for word.
Daniel wrote everything down.
"Did she mention where she worked?"
"Gabriel's private practice."
"How long ago?"
"She didn't say."
Daniel looked at Claire.
"We'll request a welfare check through law enforcement. If she's in danger, this needs to be handled as more than a private investigation."
Claire nodded.
An hour later, they received disturbing news.
Nora Bellamy's apartment had been found empty.
Her phone was disconnected.
Her employer reported that she had resigned two days earlier.
And according to her building manager, a man had collected several boxes from her apartment shortly before midnight.
The manager had assumed he was helping her move.
But the security camera showed something strange.
Nora had not accompanied him.
Adrien watched the footage on Daniel's tablet.
A tall man wearing a dark coat carried two cardboard boxes through the lobby.
His face was partially concealed beneath a baseball cap.
As he turned toward the elevator, the camera caught a brief side profile.
Sophie leaned forward.
"Wait."
Daniel paused the video.
"What is it?"
She pointed toward the man's left hand.
A heavy silver ring.
Black stone.
Distinctive engraved border.
"I've seen that ring."
Adrien looked at her.
"Where?"
"On Victor's hand."
Daniel enlarged the frame.
The image was grainy.
It could not establish identity.
But the resemblance was troubling.
Adrien felt anger rising.
"Victor went to her apartment."
"Possibly," Daniel said. "We need corroboration."
Sophie turned toward the window.
She was beginning to understand how dangerous this situation had become.
Someone had manipulated Adrien's medical care.
Someone had possibly altered records.
A former employee had disappeared after trying to warn him.
And the same people were attempting to seize control of his company.
Yet one question remained unanswered.
Why had Nora insisted that Victor was not responsible for the crash?
That afternoon, Claire obtained the original police accident report.
Adrien had been driving home from a charity dinner when his vehicle veered off a winding road.
Investigators initially attributed the crash to excessive speed combined with wet pavement.
Adrien remembered very little.
A sharp curve.
A sudden vibration.
The steering wheel pulling unexpectedly.
Then darkness.
But the report contained an observation he had never seen.
Driver reported possible steering malfunction to responding paramedic before losing consciousness.
Adrien stared at the sentence.
"I told them something was wrong with the steering?"
Claire nodded.
"The paramedic recorded it."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"The final report concluded that the vehicle inspection found no conclusive mechanical defect."
Daniel turned to the next page.
"Who conducted the inspection?"
Claire pointed to the name.
Harlan Automotive Forensics.
Daniel frowned.
"I know that company."
"Why?" Adrien asked.
"They were involved in an insurance fraud investigation five years ago. Their lead examiner was accused of accepting payments to produce favorable findings. The allegations were never proven."
Adrien looked at the report again.
"Who hired them?"
Claire answered quietly.
"The Valmont Group's insurance division."
"Who authorized the assignment?"
She hesitated.
"Victor's office."
Adrien leaned back.
The pattern was becoming impossible to ignore.
But Daniel remained cautious.
"A suspicious contractor doesn't prove the crash was staged. We need the vehicle, the physical evidence, and the original examination records."
"Where's the car?"
Claire checked her notes.
"It was transferred to a private storage facility after the insurance assessment."
"Then we inspect it again."
Daniel nodded.
"I'll arrange an independent automotive engineer."
That evening, Sophie was helping Adrien prepare for another examination when a nurse entered carrying a small package.
"No sender," the nurse said. "It was left at reception for Mr. Valmont."
Daniel immediately intercepted it.
The package was examined under the hospital's security procedures before being opened.
Inside was a flash drive and a folded note.
The handwriting was hurried.
I kept a copy. Don't let Gabriel find it.
There was no signature.
Daniel connected the drive to an isolated forensic workstation.
Three folders appeared.
Medical.
Financial.
Accident.
Adrien's heart began racing.
Daniel opened the accident folder.
A single video file appeared.
The timestamp showed the evening of Adrien's crash.
The recording came from a garage security camera.
It showed Adrien's black sedan parked beneath the Valmont headquarters.
A maintenance worker approached the vehicle.
He glanced around.
Then he crouched beside the front wheel.
For nearly four minutes, he remained partially hidden from the camera.
When he stood, another person stepped into view.
A woman.
Tall.
Elegant.
Wearing a cream-colored coat.
Adrien stopped breathing.
He knew that coat.
He had bought it as an anniversary gift years earlier.
Sophie looked at him.
"Adrien?"
His lips parted.
"That's impossible."
The woman turned toward the camera.
Her face was unmistakable.
Émilie Valmont.
Adrien's wife.
May you like
The woman who had supposedly died three years earlier.
END OF CHAPTER 3
