Rejected: A love story

Chapter 182: The investigation

Nathan stood by the old wooden docks, his coat collar turned up against the wind. He saw Alex’s car pull up. Alex didn’t look good. He walked over to Nathan, holding a thick yellow folder tightly against his chest.

"You’re late," Nathan said. His voice was rough.

"I had to make sure," Alex said. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. The docks were empty except for some old fishing boats. "Sir, what I found... it doesn’t make any sense. But it’s all over the old Russian newspapers."

Nathan felt his heart beat faster. "Just tell me, Alex. What about Viktoria?"

Alex opened the folder. He pulled out a grainy, printed photo of a newspaper page from three years ago. The headline was in Russian, but Alex had written the translation in red ink underneath.

"The Miracle of the Ivan Family: Daughter Wakes from the Dead."

Nathan stared at the paper. "What is this?"

"The real Viktoria Ivanova," Alex started, taking a deep breath. "She was the only daughter of the Ivans. They are like royalty over there. Very rich, very private. Three years ago, the real Viktoria was in a terrible skiing accident. The doctors at the hospital said she was gone. Brain dead, so they sent her to the morgue. She stayed there for two days."

Nathan felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind. "Two days?"

"The morgue attendants were getting her ready for the autopsy," Alex continued, his voice shaking a little. "And then, on the very morning she was supposed to be buried, something happened. The news says she sat up in the casket. She just... opened her eyes. The doctors called it a medical miracle. They said her heart had just started again. But there was a catch."

"What catch?" Nathan asked.

"She couldn’t remember anything," Alex said. "She didn’t know her mother, her father, or her life. The Ivans kept her hidden away for months, saying she was recovering.

Nathan gripped the wooden railing of the dock so hard his knuckles turned white. "It’s a lie. It’s all a lie. That wasn’t a miracle. That’s when they swapped them."

"That’s what I think too," Alex whispered. "The real Viktoria probably really did die in that morgue. But the Ivans couldn’t lose their heir. The timing is perfect, sir. Fiona disappears here, and a ’miracle’ happens in Russia a week later."

Nathan looked out at the dark water. His mind was spinning. "They took her when she was vulnerable. They drugged her, changed her papers, and gave her a dead woman’s life. They told her she was Viktoria because the real Viktoria was already gone."

"And Nikolai?" He asked.

"Nikolai was her fiancé, sir. They were betrothed since they were children. It was an arranged marriage between two big families. But here is the thing—Nikolai wasn’t even in the country when the accident happened. He was away on business. He came back to find his bride had ’miraculously’ returned from the dead, but she had lost all her memories."

Nathan looked out at the dark water. His mind was spinning. "So Nikolai might not even know? He thinks he is married to his childhood sweetheart, but he’s actually living with my Fiona?"

"It is possible, sir," Alex said. "If someone swapped the bodies at the morgue before she ’woke up,’ Nikolai would have no reason to doubt it. She looks just like the girl he grew up with. He was just happy she was alive."

"And Natasha?" Nathan asked, his eyes turning hard. "The snake?"

Alex looked down at his notes. "That is the part I am still working on, Mr. Keith. I am still investigating her. I need to get my facts exactly right before I tell you more. Something about her story doesn’t fit, but I need proof."

Nathan nodded. He felt a fire growing in his chest. It wasn’t just sadness anymore; it was a pure, cold rage. "Get the proof, Alex. I want to know every person who touched that ’miracle.’ I want to know who paid the doctors at that morgue."

"Thank you, Alex. You’ve done well."

"Thank you, sir. What should I do next?" Alex asked.

Nathan turned toward his car. "Keep digging into Natasha. I want to know if she was in Russia and if she was I need to know who was in that morgue with her. I’m going back to the villa. I need to see Fiona...I mean, Viktoria."

##########

Nathan drove back to the villa in silence. He thought about Fiona waking up in a cold room, surrounded by strangers telling her she was someone else. He thought about her being scared and lonely, reaching for a memory of him that had been wiped away by chemicals.

The next morning he walked into the living room, it smelled like coffee and toasted bread. He heard Mateo laughing in the kitchen.

He walked into the kitchen and saw her. She was wearing a simple sweater, her hair tied up, helping Mateo eat his breakfast. She looked up and gave Nathan a small, shy smile.

"Good morning, you’re awake early," she said.

Nathan didn’t speak for a second. He just looked at her—really looked at her. He didn’t see a Russian heiress. He saw the girl who should be stealing his hoodies and leave hair ties all over his apartment.

"Yeah," Nathan said, his voice softer than usual. "I’m awake."

He sat down at the table, right across from her. He watched her hand as she moved a spoon. He saw the way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Every move she made was a piece of a puzzle he was finally starting to solve.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her brow furrowing. "You look... different."

"I’m fine, Viktoria," Nathan said, using the name like a bitter pill. "I just had a long talk with a friend about the past. It made me realize how much people can hide."

She flinched slightly, just a tiny movement of her shoulders, but Nathan saw it. She felt it too. The lie was heavy, even if she didn’t know it was a lie yet.

"I should go check on the garden," she said quickly, standing up. She seemed like she wanted to run away from his gaze.

"Wait," Nathan said.

She stopped.

"Alex mentioned you said you like to cook. Maybe tonight... you could make something? Whatever you want. No chefs, just us."

She looked surprised, then a little happy. "I’d like that. Nikolai usually likes me to stay out of the kitchen, but I’ve missed it."

"Nikolai isn’t here," Nathan said firmly. "Do whatever makes you feel like yourself."

He watched her walk out toward the glass doors. He knew he had to be careful, just like Doctor Aris said. He couldn’t scream the truth at her. He had to let her find her way out of the dark. But now he had a map. He knew about the morgue. He knew about the "miracle." And he knew that sooner or later, the real Fiona would wake up again.

Nathan picked up Mateo and sat him on his lap. The boy pointed at a toy car on the table.

"Vroom!" Mateo said.

"That’s right," Nathan whispered, kissing the top of the boy’s head. "Vroom. We’re going to get her back, buddy. I promise."