Chapter 1: The Woman He Thought He Knew
The first thing Nathaniel heard when he stepped into his penthouse was his mother's scream.
Not sobbing.
Not calling his name.
Screaming.
A sound filled with pure terror.
Nathaniel stopped cold just inside the sliding glass doors leading to the rooftop terrace.
The bouquet of pink tulips slipped from his hand.
One by one, the flowers scattered across the polished mahogany floor.
Because right in front of him, in the deep rooftop jacuzzi, was his seventy-five-year-old mother, Evelyn.
Her frail hands clung desperately to the frosted glass edge.
Her soaked emerald silk robe dragged her down like an anchor.
"Please..." Evelyn gasped, struggling to keep her head above the churning water.
"Somebody...
help me..."
Standing over her was Isabella.
Nathaniel's fiancée.
The woman he had planned to surprise that evening.
The woman he believed would soon become part of his family.
But the woman standing beside that jacuzzi was someone he didn't recognize.
Isabella looked down at Evelyn with a cold smile.
"Still pretending you're helpless?" she asked softly.
Nathaniel's heart nearly stopped.
"What did you say?" Evelyn whispered.
Isabella leaned closer.
"You heard me."
Evelyn slowly shook her head.
"Isabella...
please...
help me out."
Instead, Isabella moved forward and used the tip of her leather boot to push Evelyn's fingers off the ledge.
"You really thought Nathaniel would choose you over me?"
Fear filled Evelyn's eyes.
"He's my son.
He loves me."
Isabella let out a quiet chuckle.
"Once I marry him, this penthouse will finally belong to me."
Nathaniel's hands tightened into fists.
The woman he intended to marry was threatening his mother.
His own mother.
But he stayed exactly where he was.
Because he needed to hear every word.
Isabella glanced around to make sure no one else was there.
Then she lowered her voice.
"You know what's really amusing, Evelyn?
Nobody believes an old woman whose mind is starting to go."
Evelyn's face tightened.
"What are you talking about?"
Isabella smiled again.
"I've already convinced everyone your confusion is getting worse."
A chill shot through Nathaniel's body.
At that moment, he understood.
This wasn't an accident.
It was a carefully orchestrated plan.
A scheme that had started long before tonight.
Then Isabella spoke the one sentence that changed everything.
"After the wedding, you won't live long enough to complain."
Nathaniel stepped out of the shadows.
His voice was steady.
But deadly.
"Go ahead," he said.
"Say that one more time."
Isabella whirled around.
The smile vanished from her face.
Because Nathaniel had heard every single word.
---
What will Nathaniel do now that he knows the truth about Isabella?
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And what has she already done to Evelyn behind closed doors?
Comment **"NEXT"** if you want Part 2.
