Chapter 8: The Night I Never Remembered
The sentence hung in the air.
I thought you were dead.
I stared at Vanessa, waiting for her to explain what she meant.
She covered her mouth with both hands, tears spilling between her fingers.
“Darius, I didn't mean—”
“What did you mean?””
She shook her head.
“Please, let me explain.””
“You have one chance.””
Marcus stepped closer.
“Mr. Darius, perhaps we should make sure the children remain away from this conversation.””
I glanced at the SUV.
Malik was watching through the window. Ava sat pressed against Rosa, clutching the woman's sleeve.
I walked over and opened the rear door.
“Malik, can you stay with Rosa for a little while?””
He nodded, but his eyes remained on Vanessa.
“Dad, are we going to be okay?””
I crouched beside him.
“Yes. I'm going to make sure you're safe.””
“Even if Mom did something bad?””
The question hurt more than I expected.
I brushed a damp curl from his forehead.
“Even then. You and Ava are children. None of this is your fault.””
He threw his arms around my neck.
I held him for a moment before closing the door.
When I returned, Vanessa was sitting on the bottom step beneath the entrance. Her burgundy dress was no longer immaculate. Rainwater had splashed across the hem, and mascara streaked beneath her eyes.
For the first time that afternoon, she looked exhausted.
“Tell me about the night I collapsed,” I said.
She stared at her hands.
“It was a Thursday.””
“I remember the business trip.””
“You came home early. You said you had a terrible headache and couldn't concentrate.””
I remembered fragments of that evening. The garage door opening. My briefcase falling against the wall. Vanessa asking whether I'd eaten.
Then nothing.
“The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital,” I said.
She nodded.
“You were confused. You kept asking for your father.””
My chest tightened.
My father had already been dead for a year.
“Why?””
“The doctors thought you were disoriented.””
“And Andre?””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“He was here.””
I felt my hands curl into fists.
“What was he doing in my house that night?””
“He said he needed to speak to you about the company. You told him to leave.””
“That sounds like me.””
“He became angry. You argued about the trust and some missing documents. Andre accused you of hiding something that belonged to him.””
I took a slow breath.
“What happened next?””
“You went into your office. Andre left. I made you something to drink because you said you felt unwell.””
I remembered the taste of something sweet.
A glass on the coffee table.
My wife's hand resting on my shoulder.
I remembered feeling so tired that lifting my head seemed impossible.
I had always assumed my body had simply given out.
“Did you put anything in that drink?””
Vanessa began crying again.
“I gave you the medication your doctor had prescribed.””
“Which medication?””
“I don't remember the name.””
“You were my wife. You managed my medication.””
“I know!””
“Then tell me what you gave me.””
She looked toward Marcus.
The doctor spoke carefully.
“Mrs. Brooks, if medication was administered, the exact substance, dose, and timing are important. We shouldn't guess. If you have records, packaging, or messages concerning it, those should be preserved and reviewed by an independent clinician.””
Vanessa nodded without looking at him.
“I don't have the bottle anymore.””
“Where is it?”” I demanded.
“I threw it away.””
“When?””
“The morning after you collapsed.””
My stomach turned.
“Why?””
“Because I thought it might be dangerous.””
The words escaped her before she could stop them.
I stepped back.
“You thought it might be dangerous?””
She pressed both hands against her face.
“I didn't know what was happening. You weren't responding to me, and I panicked.””
“You could have called for help.””
“I did!””
“You called emergency services?””
“Yes!””
Marcus looked at her.
“The hospital record should establish when you called and what you reported.””
Vanessa nodded frantically.
“I told them you were unconscious. I told them everything I knew.””
“Except what you put in my drink.””
She began sobbing.
“I didn't know it would happen!””
Silence fell.
I stared at her.
“Didn't know what would happen?””
She shook her head.
“I thought it would calm you down. Andre said you hadn't slept properly in days. He told me you needed something to help you rest.””
“Did Andre give you the substance?””
“I don't know.””
“Did he tell you what it was?””
“He said it was something a doctor had recommended.””
“Which doctor?””
“I never spoke to that doctor.””
“Then how could you trust him?””
She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes.
“Because I was afraid of losing everything.””
There it was again.
Fear.
Fear of losing the house. Fear of losing the marriage. Fear of the company collapsing.
Fear had become her excuse for every decision she refused to explain.
I turned away from her.
“I need the truth, Vanessa. Not another reason why you thought you had no choice.””
She stood.
“I didn't plan for you to collapse.””
“Did you know what was in the drink?””
“No.””
“Did you ask Andre?””
“Yes.””
“What did he say?””
“He said it was harmless. He said you would sleep for a few hours, wake up feeling better, and finally agree to let him handle the business.””
My skin prickled.
“And when I didn't wake up?””
Her face crumpled.
“I called for help.””
“What happened at the hospital?””
She swallowed.
“Dr. Hill wanted more tests. He asked what you had taken, and I told him you hadn't taken anything unusual.””
Marcus looked stricken.
“You didn't disclose that you had administered an unknown substance?””
“I didn't know it was unknown at the time!””
“But you knew you hadn't received a prescription from your husband's physician.””
Vanessa lowered her head.
“Yes.””
Marcus stepped back, his expression grave.
“That's important information. It needs to be documented accurately.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“Why did you cancel the follow-up tests?””
“Because Andre told me they would discover the medication.””
“And you helped him hide it.””
She nodded.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
I felt grief rising beneath my anger. Not just for what might have happened to me, but for the years I had spent trusting someone who had concealed information about my own body.
“Did you know Andre was trying to get control of my company?””
“Yes.””
“Did you know about the missing money?””
“Not until after you collapsed.””
“And the jewelry?””
Vanessa flinched.
“I planted it.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“The necklace and bracelet. I put them in Rosa's cleaning basket.””
“Why?””
“Because she had found the documents. She said she was going to tell you everything.””
“So you decided to frame her?””
“I thought if she left, I could get the papers back before you saw them.””
I couldn't speak.
The woman I had married had deliberately placed stolen property among the belongings of someone who had helped raise our children, then thrown that woman into the rain.
I looked toward the SUV.
Rosa was sitting with her arms around Ava, listening as Malik whispered something to her.
She had every reason to hate Vanessa.
Yet when I looked back at my wife, I saw a woman who had allowed fear to turn into cruelty, and cruelty into a system of lies.
“I can't make any decisions about our marriage today,” I said.
“But you are not going to handle my medical care, my finances, or these documents anymore.””
She reached for my hand.
“Darius, please. I love you.””
I stepped away.
“Then you should have protected me.””
Her hand fell.
My phone vibrated.
Andre was calling.
I answered and put him on speaker.
“Darius,” he said, his voice calm and familiar, “I hear you've been talking to Marcus.””
“And Rosa.””
A pause.
“Then you know Vanessa made some mistakes.””
“Did you give her something to put in my drink?””
“I gave her advice.””
“That's not an answer.””
“Neither is accusing me of something you can't prove.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why did you want control of my company?””
Andre sighed.
“Because Dad made a terrible decision, and I was trying to correct it.””
“What decision?””
“He left you everything that mattered.””
“The company was divided according to the trust.””
“The trust was based on a lie.””
I glanced at the brass key in my hand.
“What lie?””
Andre's voice dropped.
“Go to the records room. Open the bottom drawer. Read the original agreement.””
“And then?””
“Then you'll understand why Dad warned you about me.””
The call ended.
I stared at the screen.
Vanessa whispered, “Don't go there.””
“Why?””
“Because Andre knows you're coming.””
I looked toward the driveway.
The rain was finally beginning to ease, and the daylight remained bright across the wet pavement.
I had spent three years believing I knew exactly who my brother was.
Now I wasn't sure I knew who my father had been, either.
I slipped the key into my pocket.
“I'm going to the records room,” I said.
“But I'm taking a lawyer, and I'm making sure the documents are preserved properly.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“You still don't understand.””
“Then help me understand.””
She stared at me.
“Your father didn't leave you the company because he loved you more.””
I stopped.
“What did you say?””
May you like
She swallowed.
“He left it to you because he believed Andre had already stolen something much more valuable.””
