CHAPTER 4: THE FIRST WOMAN DANIEL DESTROYED
CHAPTER 4: THE FIRST WOMAN DANIEL DESTROYED
Emily Parker locked the door three times.
I noticed.
The first time, she turned the deadbolt.
The second time, she checked the chain.
The third time, she looked through the window to make sure nobody was watching.
That was when I understood something.
Emily wasn't being dramatic.
She was afraid.
Not the kind of fear people feel after a bad breakup.
Not the kind of fear that disappears after a few days.
This was the kind of fear that changes the way a person lives.
The kind that makes every shadow look like a threat.
I stood inside her small apartment, looking around.
There was no luxury.
No expensive furniture.
No signs of the successful executive assistant she once was.
Only a small table.
A worn couch.
Stacks of documents carefully hidden inside boxes.
A woman who had lost everything.
"Sit down," Emily said quietly.
I sat across from her.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked at my wedding ring.
"You really married him."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
"Yes."
She closed her eyes.
"Why?"
The question surprised me.
Not because I didn't understand.
Because I asked myself the same thing.
"I thought I knew him."
Emily gave a sad smile.
"Everyone does."
I looked at her.
"What does that mean?"
She walked to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water.
Then she sat down again.
"Daniel Cross is very good at making people believe what he wants them to believe."
I remembered the interviews.
The articles.
The perfect businessman.
The charming husband.
"He creates a version of himself for everyone."
She placed the glass down.
"To the world, he's generous."
A pause.
"To investors, he's brilliant."
Another pause.
"To employees, he's powerful."
Her eyes met mine.
"But behind closed doors..."
She didn't finish.
She didn't have to.
I already knew.
"Tell me about the woman before me."
Emily became completely still.
"Who told you about her?"
"No one. I found pieces of information."
She looked away.
"Her name was Rachel Morgan."
The name landed heavily.
"She was Daniel's first wife."
I frowned.
"First wife?"
Emily nodded.
"Yes."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Daniel never told me he was married before."
"Of course he didn't."
"Why?"
Emily looked at me.
"Because Daniel doesn't see his past as something he needs to explain."
She stood and walked toward a cabinet.
From inside, she pulled out an old folder.
"This is why."
She placed it on the table.
I opened it.
Inside were newspaper clippings.
Photos.
Documents.
The first page showed Daniel and a beautiful woman standing together at a charity event.
The headline read:
"Daniel Cross and Rachel Morgan: The Perfect Power Couple."
I turned the page.
Another article.
"Cross Family Announces Divorce After Three Years Of Marriage."
Another page.
"Rachel Morgan Leaves Public Life."
I looked at Emily.
"What happened?"
She took a breath.
"Rachel tried to leave him."
The words were simple.
But the way Emily said them made my skin crawl.
"Why?"
"Because she realized who he really was."
I stared at the papers.
"Did he hurt her?"
Emily didn't answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
"He didn't hit her."
I felt a strange relief.
Then Emily continued.
"He did something worse."
The room felt colder.
"He isolated her."
She counted on her fingers.
"First, he convinced her that nobody understood her."
"Then he slowly separated her from friends."
"Then he controlled her money."
"Then he convinced everyone around her that she was unstable."
My heart sank.
Because suddenly I recognized the pattern.
The messages.
The control.
The way Daniel made everything my fault.
"He made people believe she was the problem."
Emily nodded.
"Exactly."
"What happened to Rachel?"
Emily looked down.
"She disappeared."
A chill ran through me.
"Disappeared?"
"Officially, she moved away."
"And unofficially?"
Emily's voice dropped.
"Nobody knows."
I stared at her.
"How do you know all this?"
Emily looked at the folder.
"Because I helped him."
The confession shocked me.
"What?"
She swallowed.
"When I worked for Daniel, I believed everything he told me."
She laughed bitterly.
"I thought Rachel was difficult. Emotional. Unstable."
"Then?"
"Then I found the files."
"What files?"
"Private records."
She leaned closer.
"Daniel kept information on everyone."
I frowned.
"Everyone?"
"Everyone important to him."
My hands tightened.
"Why?"
"Control."
One word.
One terrifying word.
"He collected secrets. Weaknesses. Mistakes. Anything he could use."
I thought about the folder on my phone.
The recording.
The evidence.
"He keeps files on his enemies."
Emily shook her head.
"No."
She looked directly at me.
"He keeps files on everyone."
A silence followed.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"Including you."
I froze.
"What?"
Emily looked at my wedding ring.
"Before you met Daniel, he already knew everything about you."
My heart started beating faster.
"That's impossible."
"No."
She opened another folder.
"This is your file."
I stared at it.
My name was written on the front.
My full name.
My personal information.
My job history.
My family.
My past.
Everything.
My hands started shaking.
"When did he make this?"
Emily looked away.
"Six months before you met."
The room seemed to spin.
Six months.
Before our first date.
Before our first kiss.
Before he told me he loved me.
Daniel Cross had already been studying me.
Planning.
Watching.
I opened the file.
And then I saw something that made my blood freeze.
A photograph.
A picture of me leaving work.
Taken from across the street.
I had never seen it before.
I looked at Emily.
"Why?"
Her expression broke.
"Because Daniel doesn't choose women randomly."
"What does he choose them for?"
Emily was silent.
Then she whispered:
"He chooses women who can help him."
"Help him do what?"
She looked at the documents.
Then back at me.
"Fix a mistake."
"What mistake?"
Emily's face turned pale.
"The one that could destroy the entire Cross family."
I stood up.
"What mistake?"
But before she could answer...
A loud noise came from outside.
Both of us froze.
A car door slammed.
Emily rushed to the window.
Her face lost all color.
"What?"
She didn't answer.
She just whispered:
"He's here."
My blood turned cold.
"Daniel?"
Emily nodded.
"He found you."
I grabbed my phone.
"We need to leave."
But Emily didn't move.
She looked terrified.
Not because Daniel was outside.
Because she knew what he came for.
"He's not here for you."
I frowned.
"Then who?"
Emily looked at me.
And whispered:
"He's here for me."
The lights in the apartment suddenly went out.
The entire room went dark.
And somewhere outside the door...
Someone knocked.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Three times.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Emily grabbed my arm.
"Whatever happens..."
Her voice trembled.
"Do not let him convince you that you're the problem."
The knocking came again.
This time louder.
And then Daniel Cross spoke from the other side of the door.
"Emily."
A pause.
"I know you're in there."
My heart stopped.
Because I finally understood.
Daniel didn't just have secrets.
He protected them.
May you like
And anyone who knew the truth...
Didn't get to walk away.
