Nobody moved.
Maya’s face went white.
Gabriel slowly turned toward her.
“What does she mean?”
Maya’s eyes filled with tears.
“Gabriel…”
Vanessa suddenly laughed.
“Tell him, Maya.”
Gabriel looked between them.
“Tell me what?”
The elderly woman stepped forward.
“I was the nurse at the hospital that night. Maya arrived before anyone else.”
Gabriel’s expression changed.
“Why?”
The woman looked at Maya.
“Because she was the one who pulled you out of the wreck.”
The ballroom fell silent.
Maya began crying.
“I tried to save you.”
Gabriel stared at her.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Maya wiped away her tears.
“Because I was afraid you’d hate me.”
“Why would I hate you?”
She looked down.
“Because…”
Her voice broke.
“…I was driving the other car.”
A stunned silence filled the room.
Vanessa smiled.
“There it is.”
But the elderly woman suddenly shook her head.
“No. That’s not the whole truth.”
Everyone turned toward her.
She looked directly at Vanessa.
“Maya wasn’t responsible for the accident.”
Vanessa’s smile disappeared.
The elderly woman continued:
“Your brakes were deliberately cut, Gabriel.”
Gabriel froze.
“What?”
Adrian suddenly stepped backward.
His champagne glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the marble floor.
The elderly woman pointed directly at him.
“And I know who did it.”
Adrian’s face drained of color.
Vanessa slowly turned toward him.
“Adrian…?”
He said nothing.
Gabriel stared at the man who had mocked him only moments earlier.
Then Maya quietly took Gabriel’s hand.
“I stayed because I couldn’t leave you again.”
Gabriel squeezed her hand.
But before he could speak, the elderly woman revealed one final secret:
“Gabriel… the person who ordered the accident wasn’t Adrian.”
Everyone froze.
She looked toward Vanessa.
“It was someone you trusted much more.”
THE END… OR IS IT?
