Chapter 1: The Woman Who Came Back from the Dead
Chapter 1: The Woman Who Came Back from the Dead
The ballroom exploded into chaos.
Guests whispered.
Phones appeared.
Security guards moved toward Clara.
But Ethan raised one hand.
"Nobody touches her."
The room fell silent again.
Vanessa's face had turned pale.
"That's ridiculous," she laughed nervously. "She's confused. She survived a terrible accident. Trauma can create false memories."
Clara never looked away from her.
"Can it also create photographs?"
From inside her apron pocket, Clara pulled out a small flash drive.
Vanessa stopped breathing.
Ethan noticed immediately.
"What is on that drive?"
Clara swallowed hard.
"Everything."
Two years earlier, after her car had been forced off a mountain road, she had survived.
Barely.
A retired couple had found her unconscious near a river several miles from the crash site.
With severe head injuries and temporary memory loss, she had spent months recovering under a different identity.
Then one day, her memory returned.
Every detail.
Including the black SUV that had rammed her vehicle moments before the crash.
And the woman sitting in the passenger seat.
Vanessa.
"I spent a year gathering proof before coming back," Clara said.
The guests stared at Vanessa.
The billionaire socialite suddenly looked very small.
"What proof?" Ethan demanded.
Clara handed him the flash drive.
"The security footage Vanessa thought had been destroyed."
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Vanessa's knees nearly gave out.
Because she knew exactly what was on it.
