The nights in the palace had begun to lose their calm since Elena's return.
Her presence was not only heavy, but also filled with secrets that slipped through the shadows.
One night, while Rihane was walking down the long corridor leading to her room, she heard a low whisper flowing from behind the half-open door of Elena's room.
She stopped. Her heart began to pound wildly.
A faint voice… it wasn't an ordinary conversation, but a phone call.
Elena was saying quickly:
– "No… not tonight… he's starting to suspect… wait a little longer."
Rihane shivered. The voice wasn't entirely clear, but she caught one thing:
There was someone else.
She hurried away before being noticed, but she couldn't sleep that night.
In the morning, she sat with Maria, having coffee on the balcony.
Grandma seemed preoccupied with the garden, while Rihane's eyes were fixed on Elena, who was holding her phone, typing a message with a tense expression.
Mattéo approached her innocently, tugging at the edge of her dress, and said:
– "Mama, who are you talking to?"
Elena froze for a moment, then quickly closed her phone and replied with a forced smile:
– "With one of the doctors, my love."
But Rihane noticed something else at that moment:
Her fingers trembling, and that anxious look in her eyes.
In the evening, while Rihane was returning from the small palace library, she caught a strange reflection in the garden from the window of the long corridor.
Someone was standing near the back gate… waving their hand.
Something inside her said: it wasn't one of the servants.
She stepped back slowly, her breathing quickened, and returned to her room.
She sat on her bed, staring into the darkness, whispering to herself:
– "There's a secret… and Elena is not what she claims to be."
But she knew one thing for sure:
If she told Leonardo now, he wouldn't believe her.
And she would be left alone facing this dark game.