Chapter 3 - The Echo of TruthAdrien didn't wait. He gestured for the security team to release me, much to Eleanor’s horror. "Vera, wait here," he commanded, his voice dropping an octave.
He led us into the library, where the hidden service-room audio—a legacy system my father had helped install years ago, which I had secretly re-enabled during my "cleaning"—was still running. I had anticipated this move. I had synced the output to my phone.
"Play it," Adrien said.
As the audio filled the room, the sound of Eleanor’s voice—cold, calculating, and absolutely sighted—poured out. She detailed the plan, the replica necklace, and the chilling truth about her father’s involvement in Margaret Cole’s death.
Eleanor stood frozen. The mask of the "blind fiancée" fell away, revealing a woman whose eyes were wide, darting, and filled with a desperate, feral rage.
"That’s a deep-fake," Eleanor shrieked. "Adrien, don't believe her! She’s a criminal!"
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"I’m not a criminal, Eleanor," I said, stepping forward. "I’m the daughter of the man you framed. And I’m the woman who documented your entire performance from the moment you stepped into this house."
Adrien looked at Eleanor, his face a map of shattered trust and burgeoning rage. "You used me," he whispered. "You used my mother's death to get close to the estate's records."
