Grave Secret, Her Last Research

I have been dead for five years.

My husband and his first love were facing a total corporate collapse.

Brooks stormed into my old home, demanding I hand over my latest patents to save his mistress.

My mother told him the truthDthat I was gone.

Brooks just sneered, his face full of disdain. Dead? She's been playing this game for five years because of Seraphina. Enough! If she doesn't hand over the research, I'll kill you myself, you old hag!

My mother eventually led him to my grave.

"Elara is buried right here. She died for you five years ago!"

"Do you want to know why I've clung to life despite my terminal lung cancer? I wanted to live long enough to see your downfall!"

August in New York was sweltering.

Inside the boardroom of Apex Dynamics, the air conditioning was blasting at full power.

Yet, the man sitting in the CEO's chair couldn't stop wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Beside him, a woman with a perfect figure and exquisite makeup kept handing him chilled water.

This man was my husband, Brooks Sterling.

The woman beside him was his high school sweetheart, Seraphina Hart.

The boardroom was silent until someone finally dared to speak.

"Mr. Sterling, we can't wait any longer on the new project. Our cash flow is drying up. If we delay again, the shareholders will have our heads."

When Brooks didn't respond, the woman tried again.

"If all else fails... maybe we should contact Elara. Only her research can save the company now."

As soon as those words left her mouth, the room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Brooks slammed his folder onto the table with a deafening bang.

His irritation boiled over into pure rage.

He stood up abruptly, cursing under his breath.

"I knew she was up to something! That woman is nothing but a spiteful snake!"

His temper spiraled out of control.

He grabbed a large potted plant near him and hurled it against the floor.

The ceramic shattered against the marble, shards flying everywhere.

A few pieces sliced through his expensive leather shoes, drawing blood from his feet.

Seraphina, who had been silent, saw the state he was in.

She gave the other executives a look, dismissing them.

Soon, the massive room held only Brooks and Seraphina.

Seraphina lowered the blinds and walked over to him, gently resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Brooks, honey, it's too hot to be this angry. We'll figure it out. If I have to, I'll go and beg Elara. She gave us the company five years ago, so she won't just let us drown. Look at you, you're too handsome to be scowling like this."

She playfully pinched his cheek.

Brooks leaned into her embrace, his expression finally softening.

"Seraphina, you're just too kind. You think everyone is as good-natured as you. Can't you see? She left us the company five years ago as a trap. Look at the mess we're in now! That woman is calculating. Just thinking about her makes my blood boil!"

At the mention of my name, his fury flared up again.

He slammed his phone onto the conference table.

A flash of impatience crossed Seraphina's eyes, but it vanished in a heartbeat.

She pulled him back into her arms with a sweet smile.

"It's okay, Brooks. I'll go find Elara myself. Don't worry."

Brooks pulled away from her, looking like he had made a monumental decision.

"No, Seraphina. Don't go. She hates you too much, and I'm worried about your safety. I'll handle her myself!"

I have to admit, as a CEO, Brooks at least felt a shred of responsibility toward his shareholders.

Once he made his decision, he acted quickly.

He soon appeared in a run-down neighborhood in South Brooklyn, a place filled with crumbling brick houses.

His million-dollar luxury SUV couldn't fit down the narrow, trash-strewn alley.

The driver had to park at the entrance.

Brooks, wearing custom-made Italian leather shoes, had to trek through the muddy path.

Every step in the muck made his foul mood even worse.

By the time he found my mother's house, he was fuming.

He didn't knock; he simply kicked the door open.

The old, creaky wooden door groaned and splintered under his heavy boot.

My mother had been tidying up the small living room.

The sudden explosion of sound made her jump in terror.

Before she could even check the door, Brooks and his bodyguards barged in.

He scanned the tiny room, and when he didn't see me, he glared at her.

"Where is Elara? Tell her to get out here."

My mother froze for a moment, staring at him.

Then, she turned back around, picked up her rag, and continued cleaning as if he weren't there.

Brooks was stunned by her silence.

He lunged forward, grabbing her arm and spinning her around.

He leaned down, screaming directly into her ear.

"You old bat! Did you hear me? I said call Elara back here right now!"

A flicker of deep sorrow crossed my mother's eyes, but she suppressed it instantly.

She pushed his hand away and spoke in a flat, hollow voice.

"Elara isn't coming back."

Brooks let out a mocking laugh.

He pulled out a rickety chair and sat down, staring at her with pure arrogance.

"Not coming back? What, did she die? Tell her to stop being so pathetic. This drama over Seraphina has lasted five years. It's enough. The company is in trouble, and she needs to fix the mess she left behind!"

My mother drew a shaky breath, her eyes turning red.

"You're right. Elara is dead."

Brooks's eyes widened for a split second.

Then, he burst into a fit of laughter.

He turned to his men, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Dead? Do you guys believe that? Because I don't. A woman that obsessed with her own life doesn't just die. Besides, evil lives forever. She'll outlive us all."

He turned back to my mother, barking his orders.

"Enough! Tell me where she is hiding!"

My mother looked at him and shook her head in weary disappointment.

She reached into a cabinet behind her and pulled out a folder.

She opened it, took out a single sheet of paper, and handed it to him.

"Elara is right here."

Brooks snatched the paper from her hand.

Even after all these years, the faded ink was still perfectly legible.

It was a death certificate. Name: Elara Sterling.

Brooks's pupils shrunk.

He stared at the document, his fingers trembling slightly.

A flash of panic flickered in his eyes, but he quickly forced himself to be calm.

He ripped the death certificate into tiny pieces and showered them over my mother.

"Your family really is full of tricks, isn't it? Are you enjoying watching me struggle? You even went as far as faking her death just to drag me down?"

Brooks saw that my mother remained silent and continued his interrogation.

"You're really sticking to the story that she's dead? A piece of paper proves nothing. If she's dead, she needs a grave. Take me there. I want to see how far you've taken this little performance!"

At the mention of my grave, the tears my mother had been holding back finally fell.

"Fine. I'll take you there."

I knew why she was crying.

When I died, our family was so broke we couldn't afford a proper burial plot.

My mother had walked for miles to find a secluded spot by a mountain stream to lay me to rest.

That was a wound that never healed for her.

She followed Brooks out of the alley and into his car.

By then, the sun had set, and the night was pitch black.

The streetlights on the outskirts were flickering and broken.

But my mother knew every turn.

She had walked this path from our house to my grave countless times.

She could probably find it with her eyes closed.

After a long, winding drive through the hills, they stepped out of the car.

Deep in the woods, my humble grave came into view.

My mother hurried forward, pulling at the fresh weeds that had sprouted near the mound.

The grave was simple and isolated, but it was clear she kept it with great care.

Brooks clearly hadn't expected her to actually take him to a cemetery.

He stood there, stunned for a moment, looking at the earth.

Then, he rushed forward and turned on his phone's flashlight.

The bright light hit the headstone, making the red letters pop.

"In Loving Memory of Elara Sterling."

The words stared back at him.

Brooks stepped closer, his hand tracing the cold stone.

This headstone had been here for five years, weathered by wind and rain.

For a second, I thought he might finally leave my mother alone.

But his next move terrified me.

He shoved the headstone over with all his might and turned to my mother.

"You old liar! You think I'm stupid? Elara held dozens of patents. Any one of them was worth millions. You're telling me she's buried in this godforsaken hole? Do you take me for a fool?!"

My mother gasped as the stone hit the dirt.

She stumbled forward, trying to lift the heavy slab back up.

But Brooks was beyond rational thought.

He shoved her hard, sending her sprawling into the mud.

He then slammed his sharp designer heel onto her head.

He pressed down, grinding his boot while he questioned her.

"Being stubborn won't help you. I have a thousand ways to make your life a living hell. Talk!"

The heel of his shoe tore into her skin, leaving bloody gashes on her face.

My mother's eyes were filled with grief, but her resolve was like iron.

She reached up, grabbing his ankle, and let out a cold laugh.

"Go ahead! Kill me! I told you, Elara is dead! She is buried right under your feet!"

My mother had always been a gentle, soft-hearted woman.

She had once treated Brooks like her own son.

Brooks had never seen her this defiant.

For a moment, he actually looked intimidated.

Maybe he still hoped I would appear to save his precious company.

He finally lifted his foot from her head.

He looked at her, covered in filth, and brushed the dust off his own suit.

"Killing you would just get my hands dirty. I'll let you go for today, but we're not finished. I don't believe for a second that Elara would stay hidden once she sees what I've done to her precious mother."

He pulled out his phone and took a photo of her bruised, bloodied face.

Then, he turned and left with his men.

After Brooks left, my mother struggled to her feet.

She limped to my grave and pushed the headstone back into place.

She sank down against the stone, exhausted.

She stroked the cold surface, her voice breaking into a sob.

"My child... if you can see me, please don't be sad. I'm only heartbroken because you died so unfairly. And now, they won't even let you rest in peace. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you..."

She stayed there until the first light of dawn.

She walked the twenty miles back home on foot.

Watching her like this made my non-existent heart shatter.

I thought that by leaving the company to him when I died, he would remember our history.

I thought he would at least ensure my mother had a peaceful old age.

I never imagined he would leave her in poverty and then come back to torture an eighty-year-old woman.

But Brooks wasn't always this monster.

We met eight years ago.

Back then, I was a rising star in the business world, a young entrepreneur everyone talked about.

I was invited back to my alma mater to give a lecture to graduating students.

Brooks was sitting in the corner, unremarkable.

But after the lecture, when everyone else had left, he stayed behind.

He approached me shyly, holding a notebook.

It was filled with his fears and worries about the future.

That conversation lasted for hours.

From then on, we stayed in touch.

After graduation, he naturally came to work as an intern at my company.

But I truly fell for him on New Year's Eve.

I had rushed back to the office from a business trip after midnight.

I found him there, sitting with my mother, keeping her company.

The moment he turned to look at me, fireworks exploded outside the window.

My mother held his hand and smiled at me.

I remembered that scene countless times over the years.

I believed that a man who could be so patient and kind to the elderly was a man I could spend my life with.

We officially started dating the next day.

Two years later, we were married.

The first few years were blissful.

Every day when I came home, dinner was on the table.

During holidays, we were always together, visiting my mother.

Even when the company grew and the pressure intensified, home was my sanctuary.

I told my mother how lucky I was to have found a man like him.

But everything changed a year ago, the day Seraphina was released from prison.

I knew about her. She was his first love.

Before we got married, he had been honest about his past.

I didn't think much of it at first.

Then Brooks started coming home later and later.

Then he started funneling large sums of money out of the company.

Then he started lashing out at my mother whenever Seraphina's name came up.

I realized things were heading toward a dark place.

I tried to sit him down and talk, but he would always cut me off.

"Elara, why are you being so petty? Seraphina lost her parents when she was a kid. She just got out of prison, and society has turned its back on her. If I don't care about her, who will?"

Every conversation ended in a screaming match.

And after every fight, he would force me to make some kind of concession.

Six months later, Seraphina was working at Apex.

A year later, she was a major shareholder.

The month after she became a shareholder, she convinced Brooks to switch my heart medication.

As I lay dying, I only wanted to see him one last time.

I wanted to ask him why eight years of marriage meant nothing compared to her.

I wanted to ask how he could listen to another woman and take my life.

But when the call finally went through, he didn't say a word.

All I heard were the sounds of him and Seraphina in bed together.

So, the last thing I did on this earth was listen to my husband being intimate with another woman.

He was so gentle with her on the other end of the line.

He kept whispering her name, telling her she was the only one he ever wanted.

Now, he finally got his wish.