EMBERS OF THE UNSPOKEN

Episode 4 (Close Strangers)

Night swallowed the world as Sterling and Vanessa drove far outside town in Sterling’s SUV, Mira’s body wrapped and silent in the back trunk of the car.

Neither spoke.

Sterling’s hands shook on the steering wheel. His eyes were swollen from crying he tried to hide. Vanessa stared out the window, jaw clenched, replaying the moment over and over, but she kept a straight face, trying to fight the emotions in her heart.

They found a dense stretch of bushland and tall trees—one nobody passed through at night. The road was deserted; they were the only ones likely to come around that area for days.

Working in terrified silence, they dragged Mira’s body into the darkness of the woods, stopping once in a while to catch their breath.

Sterling couldn’t stop trembling.

He still could not believe he was involved in the murder of his wife.

“She didn’t deserve this…” he muttered. “She didn’t—”

“Sterling.” Vanessa’s voice was sharp, impatient, irritated by his childish behavior. “We don’t have time.”

They moved to the center of the woods and buried her in a shallow grave as insects buzzed and night creatures cried in the distance. Sterling couldn’t bring himself to cover her face with soil; Vanessa did it, and they walked side by side in silence back to the car.

By the time they returned to the car, Sterling felt sick.

“It’s done,” he whispered, gripping the steering wheel. “Let’s just go home and—”

He started the engine when Vanessa stopped him.

“No,” Vanessa cut in sharply.

Sterling blinked. “What?”

“We have to go back,” she said.

“For what?”

“To burn it.” Her voice was steady, emotionless. “The body. The clothes. The soil. Everything.”

Sterling stared at her, horrified.

“Burn her? Vanessa—that’s—”

“That’s the only way we erase evidence,” she snapped. “If anyone finds her body, we’re finished. Do you understand? Finished.”

Sterling swallowed hard and looked at her in horror. But he knew she was right—or at least, he believed her because fear made him desperate and clouded his mind.

He slowly turned the engine off, and they stepped out of the car.

Back toward the grave.

Back toward the flames that would hide everything.

As they walked into the darkness, Vanessa whispered, almost to herself:

“She was going to ruin our lives, Sterling. We’re just making sure she never does.”

Sterling didn’t answer.

He just walked, guilt gnawing at him so deeply he could barely breathe.

…

Adrian Nicholas rarely left his office before sunrise.

It wasn’t that he loved the work—it was simply easier than going home. The Nicholas mansion felt too big, too quiet, too heavy with expectations he had never agreed to. His marriage to Aurora Kingsley was one of those expectations.

A merger of empires.

A strategic alliance.

Nothing more.

Aurora had tried in the beginning—soft smiles, carefully prepared dinners, small conversations meant to bridge the space between them. But Adrian had never stepped across that bridge.

He wasn’t built for emotional obligations.

Wasn’t interested in the pretense of romance.

And Aurora… Aurora was a reminder of the life he didn’t choose.

So he worked late.

Stayed in the office when he could.

Made the mansion feel like a distant property rather than a home.

Stacks of contracts lay scattered across his desk as the first trace of daylight crept through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Adrian loosened his tie and rubbed the stiffness in his neck.

His phone vibrated.

He ignored it at first—he was used to early calls. But it buzzed again and again until irritation finally made him reach for it.

“This is Adrian,” he said flatly.

“Sir—this is Security Chief Dalton.” The man sounded tense. “We… we have a situation.”

Adrian’s pen paused mid-stroke.

“What kind of situation?”

“It’s Mrs. Nicholas.”

A brief silence followed.