Chapter 9 - WHAT VICTOR ACTUALLY WANTED
Months later, Mara found Victor Ashbourne’s last video deposition.
It had been sealed because of the inheritance litigation.
Victor looked nothing like the mask.
Older.
Yes.
But sharper.
Smaller.
Dying.
He spoke directly to Ethan.
“If you are watching this, then you found a way to satisfy the marriage condition.”
Victor coughed.
“I hope you did not become me to do it.”
Ella stared at the screen.
The line felt almost supernatural.
Victor continued.
“I designed tests because I trusted no one. That is not wisdom. It is fear wearing a suit.”
Ethan looked away.
Victor admitted he had created the spouse secrecy condition years earlier after a previous heir was targeted by fortune hunters.
He regretted it.
He could not remove it without reopening the entire trust tax structure before his death.
So he added safeguards.
Independent spouse rights.
Release option.
No forced cohabitation.
No financial penalty if the spouse left.
Then:
“If the woman you love chooses you only when she is free to leave you, perhaps you will finally understand what love is.”
Ella cried quietly.
May you like
Not because Victor deserved forgiveness.
Because the dead man understood the lesson before Ethan did.
