Chapter 11 — Ethan Finds the Missing Footage
# A Fall at Sunset
## Chapter 11 — Ethan Finds the Missing Footage
Ethan barely slept.
Before sunrise, he returned to the mansion's security room with David.
The deleted recordings still bothered him.
"People think erased means gone," David said while examining the computer.
"But most surveillance systems keep backup data."
Within minutes, he discovered something unusual.
The main server had indeed been wiped.
But a hidden cloud backup had automatically synchronized every recording before someone deleted the files.
David smiled.
"They forgot about the backup."
Slowly, the footage loaded onto the screen.
The first fall appeared exactly as everyone remembered.
Victoria stood beside Emily.
Then...
Frame by frame...
Victoria's hand clearly shoved Emily's shoulder.
Neither man spoke.
David continued playing the recording.
The second clip was even worse.
Victoria helped Emily stand.
She looked directly toward Ethan.
Waited.
Then deliberately released both hands.
Emily crashed onto the stone steps for the second time.
The room fell silent.
Ethan stared at the screen.
His breathing slowed.
His anger disappeared.
Only disappointment remained.
He quietly saved three copies of the video.
One for the police.
One for his attorney.
One for himself.
Victoria's lies had just ended.
