Chapter 210.
He watches me for a second longer then shakes his head slightly like he’s done with this.
"Eat your food, Elaine," he says, picking up his fork again. "It’s getting cold."
And just like that...He shuts it down, like none of this happened, like he didn’t just crack something open between us.
I stare at him.
At how easily he retreats back into that controlled, distant version of himself and something in me twists.
Because I don’t know what’s worse,..The version of him that hurts me openly Or this one...that pretends not to.
——
By the time I get back to my room, the house is quiet, the kind of quiet that presses in on you, makes everything in your head louder than it should be.
I shut the door behind me and lean against it for a second Just... breathing.
Dinner sits heavy in my stomach, untouched tension curling tighter the more I replay it.
Zane’s voice.
You came back... but not for me.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
No. Not that.
Because there’s something else, Something that’s been sitting at the back of my mind since earlier, scratching and scratching, refusing to let me rest
Mia.
I push off the door and walk toward my bed, grabbing my phone from the nightstand. My fingers hover over her number for a second.
It’s late but I don’t care, I need answers.
I hit call and It rings.
Once.Twice.Three times.....
"Hello?" her voice comes through, groggy, confused.
"Mia."
There’s a pause.
Then.....
"Madam?"
The way her voice shifts....alert, nervous....it makes something in my chest tighten.
"Elaine?" she says again, softer this time, like she’s not sure if it’s really me.
"Yeah."
Another pause....then everything comes rushing out of her.
"Madam I’m so sorry.....I am so, so sorry.....please forgive me, I didn’t know what I was doing, my son....."
"Mia."
My voice cuts through her rambling and she goes quiet immediately.
I exhale slowly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"I didn’t call for that," I say quietly.
"But madam I...."
"Mia."
Softer this time.
She stops again and I press my fingers to my temple, trying to steady my thoughts.
"I need you to answer something for me," I say.
"O-okay," she replies quickly. "Anything."
I swallow.
"When you were meeting the person..." I start slowly, choosing my words carefully, "the one who was giving you the poison..."
Even saying it still feels unreal.
"...did you ever see his face?"
There’s silence on the other end, longer this time.
Then....
"No, madam."
My grip on the phone tightens slightly.
"Never?"
"Never," she repeats. "He... he made sure of that."
I nod slowly, even though she can’t see me.
"How?"
"He always came covered," she says. "Face... cap... sometimes even a mask. I couldn’t see anything clearly."
A small knot forms in my chest.
"Then how did you know it was..." I hesitate for just a second before finishing it, "....Zane?"
Another pause.
"He told me," she says quietly.
"What?"
"He told me his name was Zane," she continues, her voice trembling slightly now. "He made sure I knew. Every time we spoke... he would remind me."
That doesn’t sit right.At all.
"Remind you?" I repeat.
"Yes, madam," she says quickly. "He said I should never forget who I was working for. That I should remember the name."
Something cold settles in my stomach and I star ahead, my mind starting to piece things together.....or trying to.
"Did you ever... question it?" I ask.
"I did," she admits quietly. "At first. But he... he sounded convincing. And I was desperate, madam. I didn’t think too much. I just...."
"I know," I cut in gently.
She goes quiet again.
I take a breath.
"There’s something else," I say.
"Yes?"
"When you finally saw Zane... my husband... in person," I continue slowly, "did anything feel off?"
This time, she doesn’t answer immediately and that makes my heart start to beat faster
"Mia?"
"I..." she hesitates.
"Say it."
Her voice drops, almost like she’s afraid of what she’s about to say
"I was surprised."
"How?"
She exhales shakily.
"He was taller," she says. "Much taller."
I sit up straighter.
"What do you mean?"
"The man I was meeting..." she continues, her words coming more carefully now, like she’s thinking through them properly for the first time, "he wasn’t that tall. Not at all."
My fingers curl tighter around the phone.
"Shorter?" I ask.
"Yes."
"How much shorter?"
"I don’t know exactly," she says. "But... enough that I noticed. Immediately."
My heart starts pounding now.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, madam," she says, more firmly this time. "I remember because when I first saw your husband, I was confused. I thought maybe... maybe I had misunderstood something."
"Why didn’t you say anything?" I ask.
"I was scared," she admits. "And everything happened so fast. You got married, moved... and I thought maybe I was overthinking it."
I press my lips together.
No.This isn’t overthinking.
"Anything else?" I ask quickly. "Think, Mia. Was there anything else different?"
She goes quiet again and I can hear her breathing on the other end.
"I..." she starts, then stops.
"Mia."
"His voice," she says finally.
I still.
"What about it?"
"It didn’t match too" she says softly.
My chest tightens.
"In what way?"
"The man I met..." she hesitates again, "...his voice was rougher. A bit deeper, but not like your husband’s. Your husband’s voice is... clearer and much deeper."
I close my eyes slowly as every thing inside me starts shifting.
"What about the way he spoke?" I push.
"He was careful," she says. " Like he didn’t want to say too much."
That doesn’t sound like Zane well nit the Zane I know. Not even close.
"And you’re sure," I say again, quieter this time, "that the man you met was shorter than Zane?"
"Yes, madam."
No hesitation this time.
I exhale slowly, my head spinning slightly, Silence falls between us
Because this...This changes everything.
Or at least... it should.
"Madam?" Mia’s voice comes again, small, unsure. "Did I... did I say something wrong?"
I shake my head instinctively.
"No," I whisper. "No, you didn’t."
If anything..,,She just said something very right.
I swallow, my throat suddenly dry.
"Get some rest, Mia," I say softly.
"But madam....."
"We’ll talk later."
I hang up before she can say anything else and for a long time....I just sit there, phone still in my hand staring at nothing. Because one thought keeps repeating in my head.
Over and over again, if it wasn’t Zane...
Then who the hell was it?
I don’t even realize I’m already dialing Lucas until the phone is pressed against my ears.
The call rings once. Twice.
Then....
"Elaine?"
He picks up fast.
"You okay?" he adds immediately, his voice sharp, alert. "What’s wrong?"
I swallow, pushing myself up from the bed, pacing slowly across the room.
"I just spoke to Mia."
There’s a pause then his tone hardens instantly.
"Why?"
"I needed to ask her something."
"What kind of something requires you calling her at this time of night?" he presses, already on edge.
I stop pacing and close my eyes for a second.
"Lucas, just listen to me first."
Silence.But I know he’s listening. I take a breath.
"She said she never saw his face."
"Whose face?" he asks, impatient.
"The person who was giving her the poison."
Another pause....shortwr this time.
"And?" he pushes.
"And she said he made sure she knew his name was Zane."
Lucas scoffs lightly on the other end.
"Of course he did," he mutters. "That’s what we already...."
"She also said," I cut in, my voice tighter now, "that the man she met was shorter than Zane."
That shuts him up Completely and k grip the phone tighter.
"She said when she finally saw Zane in person, she was confused. Because he didn’t match. Not his height, not his voice.
There’s a longer uncomfortable silence now.
"Elaine," Lucas says finally, slower this time, more careful. "You just went through a lot. And Mia....."
"I knew you’d say that," I cut in again, my voice sharper than I intend. "That she’s confused. Or scared. Or mixing things up."
"Because that’s the logical explanation," he fires back, not raising his voice but firm. "She lied once already. You expect me to take her word as fact now?"
I turn away, staring at the wall.
"No," I say quietly. "I expect you to think.
He exhales sharply.
"I am thinking."
"Then think about this," I push, my voice low but steady now. "What does she gain from lying about this?"
Silence. I don’t let him escape it.
"What does she gain, Lucas?" I repeat.
"She’s already been caught. She’s already been thrown out. She has nothing left to protect."
He doesn’t answer.
"She admitted everything else," I continue. "The money, the poisoning, jhr reasons. Why would she suddenly decide to lie about this one part?"
Still nothing.....i press harder.
"And not just lie....but make it more complicated? Say it was someone else pretending to be Zane? For what?"
I can hear his breathing now.
"She said the man was shorter," I add quietly. "She said his voice didn’t match. She noticed it immediately when she saw Zane."
Lucas exhales again, longer this time.
"...shit."
I close my eyes briefly.
"Exactly."