Hey guys, so the story is now getting so close to the end (2 more long chapters and 1 short one) and everything is wrapping up so take close attention to all the little details cause there are so many hidden clues from the 1st chapter till now, but starting this chapter, there are even more clues. I hope you enjoyed this journey with me and I wanna thank everyone who's been reading, voting and commenting cause this really means a lot to me.

Chapter 7

4 Years ago...

Melanie was at home preparing a chocolate cinnamon cake, Daniel's favorite, she wanted to celebrate her husband's new movie role. She was sure after her talk with the director that her husband would get the role and prove himself to the world after the failure of his last movie.

Daniel came home rushing slamming the door behind him, he walked to the dining room where his wife waited "Oh you're finally here, I guess it's time to celebrate" she held a new bottle of champagne and smirked at him "let me just get the opener."

"Chocolate and cinnamon" Daniel sniffed "we don't need to celebrate, though"

"What? I made sure you got the role"

"And that's exactly why I turned the role down. How could you do this to me, Mel? Do you know how humiliating that was?"

"Honey, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to help you after.." she decided not to continue talking before making things messier.

"say it. After my last movie was a huge failure. I am well aware of that, but at least I got myself that role on my own. I didn't marry you for fame and what you did only make people say that I did"

"Well, I don't care what people say. I only care about you and I wanted to help you. I know you'd do the same if roles were reversed"

"and if the role were reversed you wouldn't allow me to do that. Do you really think I'm such a bad actor? Do you really think I can't make it on my own? Or are you just ashamed of being married to a failure like me? "

"I never said that Dan, please stop this" she burst into tears then she turned to the oven to get the cake out which was now a little burnt.

"Melanie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." he walked to her and rubbed her back and shoulders "I really wish to make it big one day and make you proud of me, but I was really in pain today because I felt like the only person who always supports me and believes in me, doesn't even think I'm good enough"

"Of course not. I'll always be your biggest fan and I already am proud of you."

"Just please don't interfere again, Until I get a role I feel is worth it, I'll be working in our production company and I'm very satisfied with that"

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy and I really hope you achieve your dream one day"

After the curtains went down for the 2nd intermission, Melanie stayed in her seat. Sh couldn't move and she kept on thinking about how now Daniel is nit just killed but also humiliated in front of the whole world. 'He didn't even get that one day' she thought.

They body was carried backstage and everyone left the deck, so Melanie finally left and walked back there. Adam came downstairs running "I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm sorry Melanie"

Melanie walked over to him then slapped him hard on his face; everyone turned their faces in their direction to see what's happening. then she left and walked to her room then Leah also walked to Adam and shouted: "You deserve worse" and followed Melanie.

"Melanie wait," she said

"I'm very sorry for everything that has been happening to you. I know how much you loved him and how painful it is, believe me, I understand and we might have more in common than you think"

"He was my husband, no one will ever understand what I'm feeling and I don't feel like chatting about, so please leave me alone"

"I'm not here to chat, I deeply cared about Daniel for other reasons and I'm here because I want your help to reveal the murderer"

"I think you mistook me for the detective out there"

"I'm asking you because you knew him the most out of everyone here"

"Leah, I didn't get a chance, not even a minute to mourn his death. I can't handle this right now"

"I'm sorry again. I'm leaving and maybe we can discuss this later"

Leah walked to the door opening it, only to find Neil eavesdropping outside.

He walked into the room to Melanie "What are you doing here? Can't I just get some privacy?"

"Don't you realize Melanie that I care about you? I want to make sure you're okay"

"How are you expecting me to be okay? My murdered husband's dead body was just dropped right in front of me on stage and poor Portia, his mother was there in the audience"

"I just want you to know that I'll be there for you if you ever need me"

"Thank you Neil, but I don't need anyone, I don't even know what I need right now"

Meanwhile, backstage Detective William demanded Thomas and George for a proper explanation for everything that's happening "You can't fool me like the audience I saw everything from here and I need to know everything that's happening. Was that Daniel Franco?"

"We should've been honest earlier with you, but we couldn't because we were protecting the show, our first priority," George said

"George please would you let me have a private conversation with Detective William" George left and Rachel followed him.

"So are we going to discuss now what I found because I'm sure as hell it's a strong motive for murder. You owed him a ton of money and now he's all gone and you thought your secret too"

"Rachel stop sticking your nose in everyone else's business. You know what curiosity did to the cat"

"Why did you owe him that much?"

"My company was going down. Happy now? The show would have been ruined if not for him, but I had to take a huge loan from him. What do you want? Some money? I'll give you whatever you want, but you'll never be satisfied, your money-lust will bring you down sooner or later"

"Funny hearing that from you"

"Well, take it as a warning then, you'll never be happy neither you nor your fatherless baby."

"I know how to get Owen back with that money, we'll live a great life as a family and I'll get everything I ever wanted, money, a man who loves me and a better life for my daughter"

George walked away "I have more important things to do"

Owen walked over to Rachel "you were right about 1 thing"

"You overheard that"

"I did love you Rachel, but I wasn't good enough for you. I'm glad I see the real you now and how greedy you are. You'll never get me or anyone's love" he also left her confused and ashamed of her actions "It's not greed, it's over-ambition," she said loudly to Owen to which she replied to her "and you know what happened to lady Macbeth"

Thomas tool Detective William to his room to talk. "We all wanted to tell the authorities as soon as we discovered the body" he walked to the dresser to get his cigarettes box "want a smoke"

"No, thank you"

He lit his and went to sit on the sofa next to his guest. "We were all traumatized, imagine a murdered colleague, a friend, a husband. We did what we had to do and kept our mouths shut"

"And that's not the right thing to do"

"It's just temporarily until the end of the 3rd act. Everyone will be grateful if you do the same"

"It's my job to investigate"

"And you will, no one left, the murderer is still here. I made sure if it, we all want justice"

"But you moved the body, the murder weapon and God knows what else"

"The murder weapon is still in the fireplace"

"I can't betray my oath, I can't help you and you need to call the police now or I will"

"Everyone is corrupt somehow. My drunk head father always had the best advice he used to say 'son, people will tell you money can't buy everything, well that's bull..' you have to excuse my old man's language"

"I don't understand"

"You do detective. How much is your silence till the end of act 3? I'm not asking for much here"

At that time, Melanie rushed into the room "Tom your drinking problem got worse. How dare you try to bribe such a respectable man?"

"Melanie? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, detective, Tom was just drunk. I'll ask you this as a favor, I just lost my husband whom I loved so much, I lost everything and my life will never be whole again, so please" she started crying "please let me have tonight and I personally promise you that right after the show you can start all of your investigations and we'll do the best to help you"

Time was near for the beginning of the next act, so everyone went to their rooms to get ready. James went to his room, got dressed then walked to his dresser; there were a knife and a bottle of laxative with a label "Remember me?"

He was shocked and as he held the laxatives bottle in his hands, he remembered the time before the preview when he was planning to give Daniel laxatives in his drink, so he'd go on stage instead, but he didn't and he threw the bottle away. "Who would have done this?" he thought.

Meanwhile, Joe has been waiting for Clair who's been hiding from him. until she finally came to her room to get ready, he wanted to ask her about the bracelet.

"Why do you care so much, Joe? You didn't even like him."

"So did you do it?"

"Of course not! Did you?"

"I wasn't the one who left behind a bracelet next to the body, so you now have to tell me what happened or our little secret won't be a secret anymore"

"I didn't kill him, Joe, if that's what you're implying. I went into his room just a while before we discovered the body. I walked into the room to talk to him and closed the door behind, I saw him lying on the couch, so I walked over only to find him bleeding, so I held his hand to check his pulse, but I'm sure I could feel his fingers moving with his last breaths. I was terrified, I moved away but I accidentally pulling him down with me and I didn't notice my bracelet was gone because Steph was knocking on the door." she paused shaking as she thought of the horrific memory of Daniel's dead body.

"Stephanie knew too?"

"No. I ran to the door and locked it from inside as I heard her saying she'd come in and then I went back to my room through the balcony since his room and mine are adjacent to each other"

"Why did you get yourself in such trouble if you say you didn't do it?"

"I panicked!" she screamed at him.

Tiffany and George were arguing at his room "What were you thinking? You shouldn't have done this" He shouted.

"I did what I had to do to protect us. Rachel now knows and soon everyone will too because of her big mouth, so I'm doing my best to try to make us less guilty"

"By framing others?"

"It's not the real murder weapon you know"

"Neither is that butter knife in the fireplace, it wouldn't even kill a bird. What if someone saw you put that knife in James' room and suspects you. That was a stupid move, Tiffany. Don't do anything of that sort again"

"I'm sorry"

"We'll all be sorry as soon as the police arrive later this night. As much as I want this night to finally end, I'm afraid of what will happen when the cat is out of the hat"

Tiffany and George were interrupted by the voice of Portia shouting "I need to see my son"

They went out and so did everyone else except for Melanie, Stephanie was trying to calm Portia down, but she couldn't handle her.

Earlier tonight after the end of act 2 Portia turned to Stephanie "What was that?"

"I only do the costumes in the play, I don't know much about the content"

"Stop the lying, please! I've known something was wrong ever since I came here." she paused looking deeply into Stephanie's eyes "You can't look me in the eye and tell me Daniel is okay because he's not and we both know it"

"Portia I'm very sorry, I should've told you earlier, but I couldn't and I didn't know how"

"I need to see him now"

Stephanie was silent she couldn't face Portia, no mother deserves to see her son's dead body dropped that way right in front of her, it's degrading.

"Was that him? Please speak to me, is he dead?"

"Can we go speak somewhere else, no one can hear this now"

"That's all you care about, you're heartless. I can't believe you didn't tell me earlier and the worst part is, you lied to my face and told me things were alright" Portia started crying hysterically and out of control, Steph tried to console her, but she wasn't able to and soon she got backstage after fighting with the security.

Everyone was staring at her silently, they knew anything they'd say would only hurt her even more. "I said I want to see my son" she repeated.

Adam finally spoke "he's now in his room" then he lead her to the way.

She saw his soulless body laid on the sofa then walked over and held his hand "A mother's nightmare is to see her kids dead before her. No matter how much taller you got, you'll always be my little kid. I never thought I'd see you like that"

"Portia" Melanie said from behind her "I'm very sorry. I never thought I'd see him like that either. I know I should have told you, you didn't deserve to know that way, but I was in denial myself and I had to be Marion for a night before going back to Melanie's dreadful life, so please don't hate me for doing the show"

"I don't hate you, Melanie, I hate whoever did this to my son. I lost him too soon"

"Detective William is going to know who that person is, after the show, he'll start his investigations and that person will finally get what they deserve. But now I need to get to my place, intermission is almost over"

All the actors gathered with Thomas, before going out there on the deck. "You have to go with the change, so people would believe it. I know it's hard to make up a scene last minute, but we all had to do so many hard things tonight and it's finally the last act, so go out there and end things right"