Chapter 4: The Second Bride
Emily stared at Sara.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The morgue felt colder than before.
Not because of the refrigeration units.
Because everyone in that room had just realized something impossible.
The nightmare wasn't ending.
It was beginning.
"Say that again."
Adam's voice was barely controlled.
Sara looked at him with exhausted eyes.
"Daniel Voss is getting married tomorrow night."
Adam stepped closer.
"To who?"
Sara swallowed.
"Layla."
The color drained from Adam's face.
"No."
He shook his head slowly.
"That's impossible."
Emily looked between them.
"Who is Layla?"
Adam didn't answer.
Sara did.
"Amina's younger sister."
The words hit the room like a shockwave.
Emily looked at Adam.
"You knew about this?"
"No."
His voice cracked.
"I didn't."
But Sara laughed weakly.
"Of course you didn't."
Adam turned toward her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Daniel was always ten steps ahead of you."
Sara tried to sit up, but pain crossed her face.
Emily immediately supported her.
"Don't move too much."
Sara looked at Emily.
"You don't understand what you've walked into."
Emily stared back.
"Then explain."
Sara looked at the door.
At the cameras.
At the shadows.
Then whispered:
"Before Amina disappeared, she discovered what Daniel really was."
"Who is he?"
Sara's eyes hardened.
"A man who doesn't exist."
Emily frowned.
"What?"
"Daniel Voss isn't his real name."
The room became silent.
"He has used at least six identities in the last fifteen years."
Adam clenched his fists.
"He changed names?"
"Not just names."
Sara looked at him.
"He changed lives."
A terrible silence followed.
Emily felt uncomfortable.
"Explain."
Sara looked at the wedding ring sitting on the examination table.
"Every few years, Daniel finds a wealthy family."
Adam's expression darkened.
"He marries into them."
Sara nodded.
"Then something happens."
Emily understood.
"Deaths."
Sara looked at her.
"Exactly."
The word sat heavily in the air.
"Accidents. Illnesses. Disappearances."
Emily felt sick.
"How many?"
Sara hesitated.
"Seven."
Adam stared.
"Seven?"
"Seven women."
Sara's voice became quieter.
"Seven families destroyed."
Emily looked at Adam.
"Why didn't anyone stop him?"
Sara smiled sadly.
"Because Daniel doesn't leave victims."
A pause.
"He leaves believers."
The statement confused Emily.
"What does that mean?"
"Everyone thinks he is innocent."
Sara looked at the ceiling.
"He creates a perfect story. A loving husband. A grieving widower. A man who lost everything."
She looked at Emily.
"And everyone feels sorry for him."
Emily remembered the wedding.
The guests crying.
The cameras recording.
The groom standing silently.
Never touching the body.
Never crying.
A chill ran through her.
"He was pretending."
Sara nodded.
"Everything was a performance."
Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded.
Everyone turned.
The morgue security panel flashed red.
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED
Adam immediately looked toward the door.
"We need to leave."
Emily looked at him.
"Leave where?"
"Anywhere that isn't here."
The stranger from the vent moved toward the exit.
Emily stopped him.
"Wait."
He looked back.
"What?"
"You know more than you're telling us."
The stranger smiled slightly.
"Everyone here knows more than they're telling you."
Emily hated that he was right.
She pointed at him.
"Who are you?"
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he removed the hospital worker badge from his pocket.
And placed it on the table.
Emily looked down.
Her eyes widened.
The badge belonged to:
Dr. Marcus Hale.
Chief Medical Examiner.
Her boss.
Her face went pale.
"You're Dr. Hale?"
The stranger nodded.
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
He looked at Sara.
"It means the man who hired me was afraid someone would find the truth."
Adam frowned.
"Who hired you?"
Marcus looked at Emily.
"Amina."
Nobody spoke.
Emily felt betrayed.
"Amina hired you?"
Marcus nodded.
"She knew someone would discover the body swap."
"Then why didn't she tell me?"
"Because she didn't know who she could trust."
Emily looked down.
The answer hurt.
She had spent eight years working in this hospital.
She believed she knew everyone.
Apparently, she knew nothing.
A sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Multiple people.
Approaching quickly.
Adam looked through the small window in the door.
His face changed.
"They're here."
Emily stepped beside him.
"What do you see?"
He didn't answer.
That scared her more.
Then Adam whispered:
"Police."
Emily exhaled.
"Good. We can explain."
Adam looked at her.
"No."
His voice was serious.
"They're not here to save us."
The lights flickered.
The intercom turned on again.
This time, the voice was familiar.
Daniel Voss.
"Emily."
Her body froze.
How was he speaking through the hospital system?
"You're a difficult woman to scare."
A pause.
"But I admire that."
Emily stepped closer to the speaker.
"Where is Amina?"
Silence.
Then Daniel laughed softly.
"Still asking about her."
His voice became colder.
"That is why I chose you."
Emily felt confused.
"Chose me?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"Do you really think you were randomly assigned to examine her body tonight?"
Emily stopped breathing.
No.
That couldn't be true.
Daniel continued:
"I needed someone honest."
A chill crawled over her skin.
"Someone who wouldn't look away."
The speaker crackled.
"And unfortunately for you..."
His voice lowered.
"You found exactly what I buried."
The morgue door suddenly unlocked.
Slowly.
The handle began turning.
Everyone prepared themselves.
Emily gripped the scalpel.
Adam stepped forward.
Marcus raised a weapon.
Sara closed her eyes.
The door opened.
But nobody entered.
Instead...
A wedding invitation slid across the floor.
Emily picked it up.
The paper was expensive.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
She opened it.
Inside was a single message.
Not an invitation.
A warning.
Written in black ink:
"Emily Carter, you are invited to attend the second wedding."
Below it was the name of the bride.
Emily's hands started shaking.
Because the bride's name was:
Amina Rahman.
And underneath...
A final sentence.
May you like
"This time, she will not survive."
End of Chapter 4
