Chapter 1
PART 1:
“God knew what kind of mother you were.”
Adrian Mercer said it loud enough for the whole chapel to hear.
Then he grabbed his wife by the hair.
The white chapel froze.
Two tiny caskets sat side by side beneath the soft light from the stained-glass windows.
White roses covered the floor.
Two framed photos of his little girls stood at the front, both smiling in matching pink dresses.
Both gone far too soon.
Their mother stood between the caskets like her body was still breathing, but her soul had already been buried.
She was dressed in black.
Her hands were shaking.
Her face was pale from days without sleep.
And Adrian still dragged her forward.
Her knees nearly hit the floor.
Gasps broke through the crowd.
Someone whispered, “Stop him.”
But nobody moved fast enough.
Beside Adrian stood his mistress in a black dress, her hand resting lightly on his arm, her mouth curved in a small, cold smile.
Like she had been waiting for this.
Like this funeral was not a tragedy.
Like it was a victory.
The mother caught herself on the edge of one casket.
Her fingers gripped the polished white wood so hard her knuckles turned color.
Tears fell from her eyes.
But she did not lower her head.
Adrian leaned close to her ear and hissed, “You killed them. You hear me? You killed my daughters.”
The chapel went dead silent.
The mother slowly lifted her face.
Her cheek was red from where his hand had yanked her down.
Her voice trembled when she spoke, but it was not weak.
It was cold.
“Not today, Adrian.”
His face twisted.
He bent lower, close enough that only the front rows could hear him clearly.
“Say one more word,” he growled, “and you’ll join them.”
That was when she stopped crying.
Not because the pain disappeared.
Because something stronger rose through it.
She looked past Adrian.
Past his mistress.
Past the flowers.
Her eyes landed on the framed photo of her daughters.
Then, slowly, she lifted one hand and pointed.
Behind the frame, tucked beneath a strip of white ribbon and flowers, was a tiny USB drive.
Adrian’s mistress saw it first.
Her smile vanished.
The mother looked straight at Adrian.
May you like
“You forgot the traffic camera.”
👉 And when the chapel doors opened, Adrian realized the funeral he staged was about to become his downfall…
