CHAPTER SIX: THE ILLUSION OF LOVE AND DEATH

Maria was gone.

But I didn't know.

That night, I waited for her. She always checked in on me, always found time to talk no matter how busy she was. But she never came.

A strange uneasiness settled in my chest.

The house felt different.

Too quiet.

Too still.

Even Brown seemed unusually tense at dinner. He barely ate, his eyes darting toward Leon's father, who sat calmly as if nothing had changed.

Leon, as always, was unreadable.

"You seem distracted, my love," he said, taking my hand in his.

I forced a smile. "Just tired."

"Then rest," he murmured. "You don't have to worry about anything."

His words should have been comforting.

But they weren't.

That night, I barely slept.

Something felt… wrong.

The next morning, I searched the mansion for Maria.

I checked her room. Empty.

I asked the maids. "She left," one of them said nervously.

"Left?" I frowned. "Where did she go?"

No one had an answer.

I found Brown in the garden, his hands shoved into his pockets, his face unusually pale.

"Brown," I called. "Have you seen Maria?"

He flinched. "She… she went away."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He avoided my gaze. "She left last night. She said she needed to go somewhere."

Something was off.

Maria wouldn't leave without telling me.

Would she?

Days passed.

Maria never returned.

Leon told me to stop worrying.

"She probably ran off," he said. "Maybe she had secrets of her own."

But I knew Maria. She wouldn't leave like that.

I needed answers.

So one night, when Leon was asleep, I took his phone.

My hands trembled as I scrolled through his messages.

Then I saw it.

A text from an unknown number.

"Problem solved. No loose ends."

My blood turned cold.

Who were they talking about?

I had to find out.

And I had a feeling I wouldn't like the truth.

Brown was a broken man.

Maria was his everything, and now she was gone.

One evening, he stormed out of the mansion, rage burning in his eyes. No one stopped him. No one dared.

But he wasn't gone for long.

The next day, he sent me a message.

"Meet me. Alone."

I hesitated, but something inside me told me I needed to go.

So I snuck out.

When I arrived at the secluded place he had chosen, I barely had time to react before he grabbed me, his hands rough, his breath ragged with anger.

"Where is she?" he snarled, his grip tightening on my wrists.

"Brown, I don't know!" I gasped.

"You're lying! Maria was last seen going to your room!" His voice cracked with grief.

"I swear—I never saw her that night!"

His eyes, once warm, were filled with pain and fury.

And then, he said something that shattered everything I believed.

"None of them are real," he whispered.

"What?"

"The people in that house—Leon's so-called family—they're not his family. It's all fake. They were paid to act."

I shook my head. "No, that's impossible—"

"Wake up!" he shouted. "You're living in a lie!"

My heart pounded. Could it be true?

Before I could ask more, a shadow moved behind us.

Leon.

And his father.

Without a word, they descended upon Brown, beating him mercilessly.

I screamed for them to stop.

They didn't.

Then Leon turned to me, his eyes unreadable.

"Let's go home."

Days passed.

Then, the news broke.

Maria's body was found on the roadside.

Lifeless.

Cold.

I fainted on the spot.

When I woke up, everything felt numb.

She was gone.

Brown saw the news too. And in that moment, whatever was left of his soul shattered.

Maria had died because of Leon. He was certain of it.

And so, he made a plan.

To kill him.

But Leon was always one step ahead.

That same evening, another headline flashed across the TV screen.

"Man Found Dead—Suspected Suicide."

Brown.

I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces.

Maria.

Now Brown.

Both gone.

Tears blurred my vision. I couldn't breathe.

Leon pulled me close, whispering words of comfort.

"It's okay, my love," he murmured. "I'm here."

But I wasn't okay.

I was drowning in guilt.

If I had listened to Maria, would she still be alive?

If I had stopped Brown, would he still be here?

I didn't know.

But one thing was clear—death followed me wherever I went.

Leon made a decision.

"We need a fresh start," he told me, brushing my hair back gently. "Let's go on a honeymoon."

A honeymoon.

I should have hesitated. I should have questioned him.

But I was tired.

Tired of grieving.

Tired of doubting.

And for once, I just wanted to feel love.

So I agreed.

I didn't know it was all a trap.

That Leon had a plan.

That he was setting me up.

Because soon, my fingerprints would be found.

At the scene of every murder.

And when the world came looking for the serial killer—

They wouldn't find Elena.

They would find me.