PART 2

Elena froze when she recognized Julian sitting several rows ahead.

For several seconds, neither of them said a word.

Around them, the other passengers continued boarding, placing their luggage in the overhead compartments and searching for their seats. The ordinary noise of the cabin made the silence between them feel even more unsettling.

Finally, Julian spoke quietly.

—Elena… what are you doing here?

She calmly placed her coat across her lap and set her ticket on the seat beside her.

7C.

—I’m traveling —she answered simply.

Julian quickly glanced around.

Sitting beside him was Chloe, a young woman Elena had already seen in several photographs.

But in person, Chloe looked far less confident.

She appeared to be around thirty, and her hands were trembling slightly.

Julian leaned toward Elena.

—It’s not what you think.

Elena looked out the window. Rain slowly slid down the glass while the airport lights reflected across the runway.

Then she turned back toward him.

—You told me you were going to Chicago.

Julian said nothing.

Three days earlier, he had kissed her before leaving home and told her that an urgent business meeting required him to travel to Chicago.

He had even joked about the cold weather waiting for him.

Elena had told him to take a warm coat.

That same coat was now stored in the overhead compartment.

Chloe looked at Julian.

—But you told me she knew.

Julian’s expression hardened.

—Keep your voice down.

Elena almost smiled.

For years, Julian had always used the same tactic whenever a conversation became uncomfortable.

He lowered his voice.

He told Elena to calm down.

He promised to explain everything later.

And somehow, the conversation always disappeared.

But this time was different.

Elena had not come to argue.

She had come prepared.

A flight attendant stopped beside them.

—Is everything all right?

Elena gave her a polite smile.

—Yes, thank you.

The flight attendant continued down the aisle.

Julian waited a few seconds before speaking again.

—Elena, whatever you think is happening…

—I already know enough.

She opened the folder resting on her lap.

Julian froze.

Elena took out several photographs and placed them in front of him.

The first showed Julian and Chloe leaving a hotel together.

The second showed them outside a financial institution.

The third showed the two of them sitting together in a restaurant.

Chloe stared at the photographs nervously.

—You had us followed?

Elena slowly shook her head.

—I asked my lawyer to investigate certain facts. I needed to understand what was really happening.

Julian reached for the photographs.

Elena pulled them away before he could take them.

—Not yet.

She then pulled out another document.

Julian’s face immediately changed.

He recognized it.

—Where did you get that?

—My lawyer gave it to me.

—You had no right to…

Elena calmly interrupted him.

—My name appears on those documents. That’s exactly why I needed to know what they contained.

Chloe looked at Julian.

—What is it?

Elena answered before he could.

—Several financial obligations taken on in the name of our family and our company.

Chloe went pale.

—How much money are we talking about?

Julian looked away.

Elena answered:

—Enough to put the company in serious trouble if those obligations aren’t fulfilled.

Silence filled the space between them.

For once, Julian had no immediate answer.

Elena pulled out another document.

—And that’s not all.

Julian instinctively reached for it.

—Elena, stop.

She pulled the document back.

—Why? Are you afraid someone might hear us?

Julian glanced at the other passengers.

Elena remained perfectly calm.

For months, she had imagined this confrontation.

She had imagined herself shouting.

Demanding answers.

Forcing Julian to finally admit everything he had hidden from her.

But now that he was sitting directly in front of her, she no longer felt the need to do any of that.

She didn’t want more promises.

She wanted answers.

—This morning —she said— I asked for my interests in the company to be placed under independent legal protection, following my lawyer’s advice.

Julian suddenly looked up.

—What did you do?

—I did what I should have done a long time ago: I protected what legally belongs to me.

He stared at her.

—You arranged all of this before coming to the airport?

—Yes.

—When?

—Before we boarded.

Julian took out his phone.

He looked at the screen and realized that, this time, he could not control the situation the way he usually did.

—Elena, what did you tell the board of directors?

—The truth.

—What truth?

She paused.

—That the company’s financial situation needed to be reviewed immediately.

Chloe turned toward Julian.

—You told me everything was fine.

He didn’t answer.

Elena then looked at Chloe more carefully.

Something was wrong.

This wasn’t just about money.

Julian looked worried in a completely different way.

Elena spoke quietly.

—You both know the name Northstar.

Chloe stiffened.

Julian immediately interrupted.

—Don’t involve her in this.

Elena looked directly at him.

—You’re the one who brought her onto this plane.

Chloe tightly held onto a small leather bag.

Elena noticed that she had barely let go of it since the beginning of the trip.

—What’s inside that bag?

Chloe didn’t answer.

Julian spoke tensely.

—Elena, you think you understand this entire situation because you had a few documents checked.

—Then explain what I’ve misunderstood.

Julian remained silent.

—I can’t.

—Can’t… or won’t?

Julian looked out the window.

—Not here.

Finally, the airplane doors closed.

The crew began the safety instructions.

Elena suddenly felt the atmosphere inside the cabin change.

Only minutes earlier, she thought she had all the answers.

Now she was beginning to understand that she had uncovered only the first layer of a much older secret.

Chloe slowly opened her bag.

Julian briefly grabbed her wrist.

—Don’t do this.

She pulled her hand away.

—I’m tired of keeping quiet.

Several passengers glanced in their direction.

Julian stepped back.

Chloe finally opened the bag and pulled out a thick cream-colored envelope.

A handwritten name appeared on the front.

Elena saw it.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Maya Vale.

Her daughter’s full name.

Elena looked at Chloe.

—Where did you find this envelope?

Chloe placed it on the tray table.

Julian closed his eyes.

—Elena…

But his expression had changed.

He no longer looked like the powerful businessman who was used to controlling every situation.

He simply looked terrified of what the envelope might reveal.

—What’s inside? —Elena asked.

Julian reached toward it.

—Don’t open it.

Elena leaned back slightly.

—Why?

—Because after you do, nothing will ever be the same again.

She looked straight into his eyes.

—Is that supposed to scare me?

—Yes.

The answer came immediately.

Then Chloe spoke.

—I didn’t come with Julian to start a new life with him.

Elena turned toward her.

—Then why are you here?

Chloe looked at Julian before answering.

—I was supposed to deliver this envelope to someone.

—Who?

—A woman named Sofia Maren.

Julian closed his eyes.

Elena frowned.

—Who is she?

—She used to work for Northstar.

—Is Northstar a company?

Chloe shook her head.

—Not exactly.

Elena waited.

—Then what is it?

Chloe lowered her voice.

—Originally, it was a private research program.

Julian looked at Chloe with concern.

—That’s enough.

—Why? —she replied—. She has the right to know.

The airplane engines began to roar as the aircraft prepared for takeoff.

Elena looked at Julian.

—What was Northstar researching?

He remained silent for several seconds.

Finally, he answered:

—My father created the program.

A chill ran down Elena’s spine.

—Your father?

—Richard.

Julian’s father had officially died many years before Elena met his son.

Julian had always spoken about his father with unusual reserve.

Elena stared at him.

—You always told me he was dead.

—That’s what I was led to believe.

Elena said nothing.

—What does any of this have to do with Maya?

Julian looked away.

Chloe answered for him.

—Northstar was interested in certain biological and family data.

Elena frowned.

—Why?

—At first, for medical research.

Julian added bitterly:

—At least, that’s what we were told.

Elena felt her anxiety growing.

—And then?

No one answered immediately.

Finally, Julian said:

—Certain information about Maya was collected when she was a child.

Elena straightened.

—What information?

—Data that should have remained private.

The color drained from Elena’s face.

—You had my daughter examined without telling me?

Julian lowered his eyes.

—At first, I didn’t know everything.

—When did you discover the truth?

Julian hesitated.

—When she was six.

Elena remained frozen.

Suddenly, several memories came rushing back.

A medical appointment Julian had explained vaguely.

A series of tests he had described as routine.

A specialist who had later left the clinic.

She had trusted her husband.

Now she regretted not asking more questions.

—You lied to me.

Julian did not deny it.

—Yes.

—Why?

He hesitated.

—Because my father had left instructions.

Elena stared at him.

—Your father… the same man who was supposed to be dead?

Julian nodded.

—Yes.

That answer only made the mystery deeper.

Chloe gently placed her hand on the envelope.

—There’s something you need to see.

Elena took the envelope.

This time, Julian did not try to stop her.

She opened it.

Inside were several pages of documents and a photograph.

Elena picked up the photograph first.

She froze.

The image showed an elderly man sitting inside a medical room.

His hair had turned completely gray.

His face was thinner.

But Elena immediately recognized him.

She looked at Julian.

—It’s him.

Julian said nothing.

Elena turned the photograph over.

There was a date written on the back.

It was several years after Richard’s official date of death.

Elena felt the air leave her lungs.

—That’s impossible.

Julian lowered his head.

Elena looked at the photograph again.

On the back was also a short note concerning a family file.

She still didn’t understand what it meant.

But one thing was now certain.

This secret wasn’t only about Julian.

It was also about Maya.

And someone had managed to keep the truth hidden for years.

Elena slowly raised her eyes toward Julian.

—What does this mean?

Julian remained silent.

Chloe said nothing either.

The airplane continued through the night sky.

And Elena realized something far more frightening.

Discovering her husband’s lies would not be the hardest part.

The hardest part would be discovering why someone had spent so many years hiding the truth about her own family.

To be continued in the next part…