Chapter 2: The Hidden Diagnosis
Julia didn't argue.
She lowered her eyes, nodded once, and walked away from Avery as though intimidated.
Only when she reached the laundry room did she stop the recording on her phone.
Avery's threat.
The sound of the syringe cap clicking.
Luna's frightened cry.
Every second had been captured.
Julia knew it wasn't enough.
She needed proof.
At two o'clock the next morning, after the mansion had fallen silent, she quietly entered the medical office beside Luna's bedroom.
Rows of neatly labeled files filled a locked cabinet.
The key wasn't difficult to find.
Avery had hidden it beneath the medication cart.
Inside Luna's medical file, Julia found hundreds of pages of test results.
Most confirmed the same diagnosis.
But one envelope stood out.
It was unopened.
Addressed to Richard Wakefield.
Marked URGENT – SECOND OPINION.
Julia carefully broke the seal.
Her hands trembled as she read.
There was no terminal illness.
According to the independent laboratory, Luna's original disease had gone into remission nearly six months earlier.
Further testing suggested her worsening condition was consistent with repeated exposure to an unidentified toxic substance administered after treatment.
Julia felt the room spin.
Someone had intercepted the report before Richard ever saw it.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
She barely closed the file before Avery entered.
"What are you doing here?"
Julia held up a stack of towels.
"Mr. Wakefield asked me to clean the office."
Avery stared for several long seconds.
Then her eyes dropped to the opened cabinet.
She smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"You've been asking too many questions."
Julia walked away calmly.
Inside her apron pocket was the second-opinion report.
The first real piece of evidence.
But she still didn't know why Avery wanted Luna dead.
The answer arrived the following afternoon.
A letter slipped from Avery's handbag.
Across the top was a familiar name.
Wakefield Family Trust.
Beneath it was a handwritten note:
"Final payment will be released after Luna Wakefield's death."
Julia finally understood.
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This had never been about medicine.
It was about inheritance.
