Chapter 7 THE FIRST LIE

​The Warning

​Alex remained frozen as the anonymous caller's words echoed relentlessly in his mind: 

"If you want to see your wife again... stop looking for her."

​With eyes darkened by anger, he demanded, "Who are you?" But the line had already gone dead. Frustrated, he immediately dialed the number back, only to hear a robotic recording state that the number was unavailable. Slamming his phone onto the desk, Alex realized this was no coincidence. 

Someone had been watching him, watching Javier, and watching their marriage fall apart. Now, they were actively warning him to stop searching for his wife.

​Camille's Secrets

​The next morning at Swan Group Headquarters, Camille arrived much earlier than usual. She had barely settled into her office when her assistant knocked and entered.

​"Miss Mia, Mr. Swan canceled today's schedule again," the assistant reported.

​Camille lowered her eyes, admitting she already knew.

​"He hasn't been to the office in two days, and the directors are beginning to worry," the assistant added.

​Camille forced a polite smile and promised to speak to him later. After her assistant left, she leaned back in her chair and stared at a framed photograph on her desk. Taken seven years ago at a journalism awards ceremony, it showed a younger, brightly smiling Alex standing beside her. Running her fingers along the edge of the frame, she whispered, "I never wanted things to end up like this..."

​Suddenly, her phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. After a brief hesitation, she answered.

​"Hello?"

​A familiar voice let out a soft laugh on the other end. "You've made quite a mess."

​Camille’s expression instantly hardened. "You. I told you not to contact me."

​"You don't get to give me orders," the caller replied coldly.

​Rising from her chair, Camille demanded, "What do you want?"

​"I want you to keep doing exactly what you're doing."

​"I've done nothing," Camille insisted.

​The caller chuckled. "Alex's wife has already left him. Isn't that enough?"

​Clenching her jaw, Camille said, "I never wanted them to separate."

​"Whether you wanted it or not... it has already begun," the caller replied, and the line went dead. Camille slowly lowered her phone, her heart pounding with the terrifying realization that whoever that person was, they knew far too much.

​A Threat Delivered

​Across the city, Javier sat quietly inside Nina's apartment, flipping through a parenting magazine. For the first time in days, a faint smile appeared on her face as a small article caught her attention: 

“Your baby can already hear your heartbeat.” Gently resting her hand on her stomach, Javier whispered, "Can you hear me too? I promise... no matter what happens, I'll protect you."

​Her quiet moment was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Nina opened it to find a delivery man holding a beautiful bouquet of white roses.

​"Delivery for Mrs. Javier Swan," he said.

​Nina accepted the flowers, thanked him, and brought them inside. Javier frowned, immediately suspicious. "I didn't order anything."

​There was no sender's name on the wrapping, only a small white card tucked tightly between the petals. When Javier pulled it out and read the handwritten words, the smile vanished from her face.

​"A wife should always forgive her husband. Go home before it's too late."

Javier's fingers tightened around the card. She looked up at Nina, her voice barely a whisper. "Nina... someone knows where I am."

​The Clue in the Dark

​At Swan Mansion, Alex hadn't slept all night. His bloodshot eyes scanned the mountain of maps, phone records, and security reports covering his desk, but every single lead ended in a dead end. 

Kendall quietly entered the study and urged him to get some rest, but Alex shook his head, insisting he would only rest once he found Javier.

​Looking at the scattered files, Kendall asked, "Have you reported the anonymous calls?"

​"Not yet."

​"Why?"

​Alex looked up, his voice heavy. "Because I don't know if they're trying to scare me... or scare Javier."

​Kendall nodded thoughtfully. "Either way, don't underestimate them."

​Before they could say another word, Alex’s phone rang, displaying Camille Mia's name on the screen. He answered immediately. "Camille."

​"Alex... I think we have a problem," Camille said, her voice trembling. "My office was broken into last night."

​Alex shot to his feet. "Were you hurt?"

​"No," she paused, "but they didn't steal anything."

​"What?"

​"They only left something on my desk."

​Alex frowned. "What was it?"

​Camille swallowed nervously before answering. "It was a picture of you and Javier... on your wedding day."

​"Stay where you are," Alex commanded. "I'm coming."

​Too Late

​Twenty minutes later, Alex arrived at Swan Group Headquarters. Without a word, Camille handed him the photograph. His eyes widened. A thick red line had been slashed directly between him and Javier. At the bottom of the picture, three words were written in stark black ink: "Too late, Alex."

​"This isn't random," Alex muttered.

​Camille agreed. "I know."

​Alex slowly looked around the room. "Did security see anyone?"

​"They checked the surveillance cameras," Camille said, handing him a USB drive. "But the footage is gone. Someone erased it."

​Alex stared at the drive in silence. This had gone far beyond office gossip or a simple domestic dispute. Someone had meticulously planned every single step—from the forgotten anniversary, to the anonymous calls, to Javier's sudden disappearance. They wanted to destroy his marriage, and they were always one step ahead.

​As Alex slipped the defaced photograph into his pocket, his phone buzzed with a new anonymous text message. It contained only one chilling sentence:

​"The first lie wasn't told on your anniversary... it was told six years ago."

Alex's heart skipped a beat. Six years ago was the exact year Camille had left for Europe. He slowly lifted his head, a heavy question hanging in the silence: 

What happened six years ago that no one ever told me?