Chapter 5: The Betrayal Behind the Marriage
Commissioner Lim didn't waste a second.
"Bring him in."
The officer hesitated.
"Sir... there's something unusual."
"What?"
"Marcus isn't asking for a lawyer."
"He's asking to make a statement."
Forty-five minutes later...
The interview room inside Central Police Headquarters was silent except for the hum of the air conditioner.
Marcus Ng sat alone at the metal table.
He looked nothing like I expected.
Forty-two.
Well dressed.
Expensive watch.
Tailored navy suit.
The appearance of a successful investment consultant.
But beneath the polished exterior...
His hands wouldn't stop trembling.
Commissioner Lim entered first.
I remained behind the one-way observation glass.
Marcus looked up.
"I know why I'm here."
Daniel sat down calmly.
"Then save us both some time."
Marcus gave a tired laugh.
"Victoria finally got caught."
It wasn't a question.
It was a certainty.
Daniel folded a thin case file onto the table.
"You've been communicating with Victoria Tan for at least five months."
Marcus nodded.
"Longer."
"How long?"
"Almost three years."
The commissioner stopped writing.
"Three years?"
Marcus looked down.
"We never stopped seeing each other."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
Three years.
I had only known Victoria for eighteen months.
We had been married for six.
She had never ended the previous relationship.
"Were you two engaged in a romantic relationship while she dated Mr. Tan?"
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
"And after the marriage?"
"Yes."
He didn't even try to deny it.
Daniel leaned forward.
"Why marry Adrian?"
Marcus looked toward the observation mirror.
As if he somehow knew I was standing behind it.
"For money."
The answer came without hesitation.
Inside the observation room...
Mrs. Chen covered her mouth.
I simply stood there.
Unable to move.
Unable to feel anything except disbelief.
Everything...
Every smile.
Every anniversary dinner.
Every affectionate message.
Every kiss before I boarded another flight.
Had been an investment.
Nothing more.
Back inside the interview room...
Daniel placed another photograph on the table.
It showed Lily.
Bruised.
Bandaged.
Crying.
"Did you know about this?"
Marcus stared at the picture for several seconds.
Then slowly nodded.
"Yes."
My fists tightened.
Daniel's voice became colder.
"You knew she was abusing a child."
Marcus swallowed.
"I told her to stop."
"When?"
"Twice."
"What did she say?"
Marcus sighed.
"She said..."
"'If the girl disappears emotionally, Adrian will belong only to me.'"
Daniel looked up sharply.
"What do you mean by 'disappears emotionally'?"
Marcus closed his eyes.
"She wanted Lily terrified."
"So terrified that she'd ask to attend boarding school."
"Or move overseas."
"Anything that separated father and daughter."
The commissioner remained silent for a long moment.
Then asked quietly,
"Did Victoria ever discuss physically harming Adrian?"
Marcus's face changed.
He looked genuinely frightened.
"I..."
Daniel waited.
Finally...
Marcus whispered,
"Yes."
The observation room became deathly quiet.
"What exactly did she say?"
Daniel asked.
Marcus rubbed both hands together.
"She said Adrian traveled too much."
"Private flights."
"Luxury hotels."
"Foreign countries."
"Accidents happen."
Every word landed like a hammer.
Marcus continued.
"I thought..."
"I honestly thought she was fantasizing."
"I never believed she'd actually..."
His voice disappeared.
Daniel opened another folder.
"We recovered your messages."
Marcus nodded.
"I figured you would."
"Explain this one."
He slid the printed screenshot across the table.
Victoria:
"After his next overseas trip... everything will finally be ours."
Marcus looked at it for several seconds.
Then whispered,
"I tried to talk her out of it."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Did you?"
Marcus nodded.
"I have the messages."
The forensic technician quickly recovered another deleted conversation.
This time...
It wasn't Victoria persuading Marcus.
It was Marcus arguing with Victoria.
Marcus:
"You're talking about murder."
Victoria replied:
"No one would ever question a plane crash."
Marcus:
"I'm done with this."
Victoria:
"You already know too much."
The final message had never received a reply.
Commissioner Lim slowly leaned back.
He had investigated organized crime.
International fraud.
Political corruption.
But even he looked disturbed.
"So the child wasn't the final target."
Marcus quietly shook his head.
"No."
"Adrian was."
At that exact moment...
The interview room door burst open.
A young detective entered carrying another evidence box.
"Sir..."
"You need to hear this immediately."
Daniel frowned.
"What is it?"
"We finished extracting Victoria's laptop."
He plugged a flash drive into the conference monitor.
A spreadsheet appeared.
Columns.
Dates.
Financial projections.
Asset values.
Insurance payouts.
Inheritance estimates.
One row had my name.
Beside it...
A number.
S$186,000,000
My estimated net worth.
Below it...
A handwritten note.
Phase 1 – Gain trust.
Phase 2 – Remove Lily.
Phase 3 – Update insurance.
Phase 4 – Overseas incident.
Phase 5 – Leave Singapore permanently.
No one spoke.
The room had become so quiet that the computer fan was audible.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"This wasn't impulse."
The financial crimes detective answered quietly.
"No, Commissioner."
"This was a business plan."
I felt something inside me go completely still.
Until that moment...
I had believed I married the wrong woman.
Now I understood something much darker.
I had never truly known her at all.
She hadn't fallen in love with me.
She had studied me.
Calculated me.
Priced my life like an asset on a balance sheet.
And my daughter...
Had simply been the first obstacle standing between Victoria and nearly two hundred million dollars.
Commissioner Lim slowly closed the laptop.
He looked toward the observation window where I stood.
"Adrian..."
His voice was heavy.
"We're upgrading the investigation."
I opened the door and stepped into the interview room.
"What charges?"
Daniel met my eyes.
"Attempted murder conspiracy is now being considered."
Before anyone could speak again, another detective's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed instantly.
He looked at Commissioner Lim.
"Sir..."
"Victoria has collapsed in her holding cell."
The room fell silent.
"She keeps repeating the same sentence."
"What sentence?" Daniel asked.
The detective swallowed.
"She says..."
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"'He wasn't supposed to come home early.'"
To be continued...
