Chapter 3: The Woman in My Robe
The first thing Vanessa Cole did after moving into Claire’s mansion was open the closet.
Not carefully.
Not respectfully.
She ripped the doors open like she owned the place.
Rows of designer dresses filled the room.
Silk.
Diamonds.
Handmade gowns.
Everything Claire had collected over eight years of marriage.
Vanessa smiled.
“This should have been mine from the beginning.”
She pulled out a white evening dress and held it against herself in the mirror.
A perfect fit.
For a woman who had spent months pretending she wasn’t waiting for Claire to disappear.
“Mrs. Whitmore?”
A housekeeper standing behind her looked uncomfortable.
Vanessa turned.
“What?”
“The clothes belong to Mrs. Claire.”
Vanessa slowly lowered the dress.
Then smiled.
“Did she pay you to protect her?”
The housekeeper looked down.
“No.”
“Then don’t forget who lives here now.”
Vanessa threw the dress onto the bed.
“I’m not the mistress anymore.”
She looked at her reflection.
“I’m the future Mrs. Whitmore.”
But Vanessa had no idea…
Someone else was watching.
Not from the mansion.
From a secure room thirty miles away.
Arthur Vance watched the live security feed on a large screen.
His expression never changed.
Beside him, Claire stood silently.
She watched Vanessa walk through her bedroom.
Wear her robe.
Touch her mother’s jewelry.
Every second hurt.
Her father noticed.
“You can stop watching.”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
“Claire.”
“I need to see who she really is.”
Arthur looked at the screen.
“You already know.”
Claire swallowed.
“No.”
Her voice was quiet.
“I knew she was selfish.”
A pause.
“But I didn’t know she hated me.”
The security footage continued.
Vanessa entered the bedroom.
Opened Claire’s jewelry box.
Then stopped.
Inside was a small velvet container.
She opened it.
A diamond necklace.
The one Claire’s mother wore before she died.
Vanessa smiled.
“Oh…”
She picked it up.
“This is beautiful.”
Claire’s hands tightened.
“That was my mother’s.”
Arthur looked at her.
“Now you understand.”
“What?”
“People like Vanessa don’t steal because they need something.”
He looked at the screen.
“They steal because they believe they deserve what belongs to others.”
At the mansion, Vanessa placed the necklace around her neck.
Then she took a photo.
She sent it to Grant.
“I finally feel at home.”
Grant replied almost instantly.
“Enjoy it. Claire is finished.”
Vanessa smiled.
But before she could put the phone away…
Another message appeared.
From an unknown number.
“Are you sure?”
Her smile disappeared.
A second message came.
“Because Claire knows everything.”
Vanessa stared at the screen.
Her fingers trembled.
Thirty minutes later, Grant arrived at the mansion.
He entered through the front door.
“Vanessa!”
She rushed toward him.
“What happened?”
Grant ignored the question.
“Where is Claire’s laptop?”
Vanessa frowned.
“Why?”
“Just find it.”
“You’re scaring me.”
Grant turned sharply.
“You should be scared.”
For the first time, Vanessa saw panic in his eyes.
“What happened at the office?”
Grant said nothing.
That was answer enough.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“Did Arthur do this?”
Grant looked away.
“Yes.”
Her face changed.
“You said he wouldn’t interfere.”
“I was wrong.”
The arrogant man who always controlled everything was gone.
Now he was desperate.
Then Vanessa noticed something.
A small red light near the ceiling.
She froze.
“Grant.”
“What?”
She pointed.
“The cameras.”
Grant looked up.
His face turned pale.
“No.”
He walked closer.
“The security system was disabled.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“Not all of it.”
A terrible silence filled the room.
Because both of them understood.
Everything they did…
Everything they said…
Was recorded.
An hour later, Arthur’s legal team arrived.
Not police.
Not investigators.
Lawyers.
A dozen of them.
Grant opened the door.
“What do you want?”
The lead attorney handed him an envelope.
“Official notice.”
Grant didn’t take it.
“What is this?”
“Temporary protection order regarding marital assets.”
His jaw tightened.
“You cannot do this.”
The lawyer calmly replied:
“Actually, Mr. Whitmore…”
He handed over the documents.
“We already did.”
Grant opened the envelope.
His house.
His cars.
His company accounts.
Everything was being reviewed.
Vanessa stepped beside him.
“This is because of Claire?”
The attorney looked at her.
“No.”
A pause.
“This is because of what you both did to her.”
That night…
Claire returned to the mansion.
Not alone.
With her father.
The same front door.
The same marble floor.
The same chandelier.
The place where she was thrown out like she meant nothing.
Vanessa stood at the staircase.
“You came back.”
Claire looked at her.
“Yes.”
Vanessa laughed.
“You think you can scare me?”
Claire said nothing.
She walked past her.
Straight to the dining room.
The table was still there.
The chair where Vanessa sat.
The place where everything started.
Claire touched the surface.
Then she noticed something.
A small scratch underneath the table.
Something hidden.
She bent down.
A secret compartment.
Inside was a flash drive.
Her father looked surprised.
“Did you know about this?”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
She picked it up.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A man’s voice spoke.
“Claire Whitmore?”
“Yes?”
“You found the drive.”
Her heart stopped.
“Who is this?”
The voice became quieter.
“The person who tried to warn you six months ago.”
Claire froze.
“What are you talking about?”
A pause.
Then:
“Your husband wasn’t planning to leave you.”
The room went silent.
“He was planning to make sure you disappeared.”
Claire looked at Arthur.
Her father’s expression changed.
Because he knew…
This was no longer just about cheating.
It was something much bigger.
The voice continued:
“Claire… your husband and Vanessa didn’t betray you.”
A pause.
May you like
“They were trying to erase you.”
End of Chapter 3
