Chapter 2 - The Woman in the Red Dress
The next morning, I did not return to the villa.
I stayed at the retreat and acted exactly as Daniel expected me to act.
I attended a yoga class.
I smiled at Isabella during breakfast.
I sent Daniel a message thanking him for “the thoughtful gift.”
Then I began gathering information.
My father had built Bennett Coastal Properties from a small construction business into one of the most successful private development companies in California. He was not a billionaire celebrity. He did not give interviews or put his name on buildings. But investors, banks, and city officials knew his signature could change the future of entire neighborhoods.
The Bennett Family Trust controlled a large portion of the company.
I had always known I would inherit part of it someday.
What I did not know was that Daniel had become interested in it long before we married.
I called my father’s longtime attorney, Helen Mercer.
“Mrs. Mercer,” I said carefully, “has Daniel asked you about the trust lately?”
There was a pause.
“What makes you ask?”
My stomach tightened.
“Please tell me.”
Helen sighed.
“Your husband requested a meeting last month. He said he wanted to understand the estate structure now that he would be your spouse.”
“Did you meet with him?”
“No. I told him that was a conversation for you and your father.”
“Did he ask for documents?”
“He asked whether a spouse could obtain voting rights if you became incapacitated.”
The room seemed to tilt.
“Incapacitated?”
“He framed it as general planning, Sophia. I did not think much of it at the time.”
But I did.
I thought of Daniel pressuring me to sign documents before the wedding.
I thought of the folder in his hand.
I thought of the woman in red calling me obedient.
“Who is she?” I asked Helen. “The woman Daniel may be working with?”
Helen was silent for several seconds.
Then she said, “Send me any photographs you have.”
I did.
Within twenty minutes, she called back.
“Her name is Victoria Lane.”
I sat upright.
“Who is she?”
“Former compliance director for one of Daniel’s business partners. She was investigated two years ago after a fraud case involving forged property transfers.”
“Was she convicted?”
“Not enough evidence. But she disappeared from the public record afterward.”
I looked again at the picture of Victoria wearing my diamonds.
“She’s Daniel’s mistress.”
Helen’s voice became colder.
“Then the affair may be part of a much larger plan.”
That afternoon, I returned to the villa.
Daniel greeted me at the door with a warm smile and open arms.
“There she is,” he said. “Did you miss me?”
I let him hug me.
I could smell unfamiliar perfume on his shirt.
“Yes,” I said softly. “I missed you.”
He smiled, believing he had won.
That night, while Daniel slept, I searched his office.
I found a burner phone hidden behind a row of travel books.
The passcode was our wedding date.
For one terrible moment, I almost laughed.
His betrayal had become so effortless that he used the day he married me to protect the evidence of what he planned to do to me.
The messages between Daniel and Victoria made my hands shake.
Victoria: The trust amendment needs her signature.
Daniel: She’ll sign it. She doesn’t read legal documents.
Victoria: Your wife’s father will notice.
Daniel: Not if we make it look like she authorized it.
Victoria: And if she refuses?
Daniel: She won’t. Sophia has spent her entire life trying to keep everyone happy.
Then I found the message that changed everything.
Victoria: The medical report is ready.
Daniel: Good. Once she signs, we proceed.
Victoria: You’re sure you can make the accident look natural?
Daniel: She’ll be at the cliff road after the honeymoon. The brakes will fail. Everyone will think it was tragic.
I stopped breathing.
My husband had not sent me away because he needed space.
He had sent me away because he needed time.
Time to prepare documents.
Time to meet Victoria.
Time to arrange my death.
I photographed every message.
Then I left the burner phone exactly where I found it.
At sunrise, I called my father.
“Dad,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “I need you to listen without interrupting.”
He listened.
When I finished, he did not raise his voice.
That frightened me more than anger would have.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Malibu.”
“Are you alone?”
“Daniel is here.”
My father took one slow breath.
“Do not confront him. Do not sign anything. Do not get into a car with him. Helen and I are contacting the police.”
Then he added, “Sophia, I am sorry.”
“For what?”
“For warning you about business risks but never imagining the man you loved could become one.”
I looked through the bedroom window at Daniel sleeping peacefully.
“He fooled me too.”
“No,” my father said. “He chose to deceive you. That is not the same thing.”
For the first time since I heard Daniel call me easy to control, I felt something stronger than grief.
May you like
I felt clear.
And I knew exactly what I had to do.
