CHAPTER 2 — The Name He Never Forgot
The banquet hall remained frozen.
No one dared speak.
The young waitress wiped tears from her cheeks and looked directly at the man holding the photograph.
“My mother's name was Elena Carter,” she whispered.
The husband's breath caught.
The photograph nearly slipped from his fingers.
Twenty-three years.
Twenty-three years since he had last heard that name.
His wife stared at him in disbelief.
“You know her?” she asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly turned the photograph over.
On the back, written in faded ink, were words he recognized instantly.
Forever yours,
Elena.
His knees felt weak.
The room around him seemed to disappear.
Years ago, before wealth, before business empires, before marriage, Elena had been the love of his life.
They had planned a future together.
Then one day she vanished.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
Nothing.
“I searched for her,” he finally said.
“For years.”
The waitress stared at him.
“My mother said you never abandoned her.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
The wife felt her anger turning into confusion.
“Then why did she disappear?” she asked quietly.
The waitress lowered her eyes.
May you like
“Because someone made sure she did.”
And with that sentence, everything became even more complicated.
