Chapter 7

Isabella's POV

Diego spoke up, his voice calm and steady. "I might know someone who can help us."

Daniel and I turned to him, both curious and skeptical. "Who?" Daniel asked.

Diego hesitated for a moment before replying, "His name is Victor. He's an expert in digital forensics and has helped me out in the past."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What does digital forensics have to do with this?" I asked.

Diego explained, "If Miranda and her accomplices fabricated evidence against you, then it's likely that they used digital means to do so. Victor can analyze the digital evidence and determine if it's been tampered with or fabricated."

Daniel nodded in agreement. "That's a good plan. Do you have his contact information?"

Diego pulled out his phone and quickly found Victor's contact information. "I'll call him and set up a meeting," he said, stepping out of the room to make the call.

As we waited for Diego to return, Daniel turned to me, his expression softening. "I'm sorry, Isabella. I never wanted any of this to happen to you."

I shook my head, reaching out to take his hand. "It's not your fault. We'll get through this together."

Diego returned a few minutes later, a small smile on his face. "Victor has agreed to meet with us tomorrow morning."

We spent the rest of the evening going over our strategy for the meeting with Victor. Daniel and Diego would accompany me, and we would bring any evidence we had to support my innocence.

The next morning, we arrived at Victor's office, a sleek modern building in the heart of the city. We were greeted by a young receptionist who directed us to the conference room.

As we waited for Victor to arrive, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness and anticipation. This was our best chance to clear my name, and I couldn't bear the thought of failing.

Finally, Victor arrived, a middle-aged man with a serious expression and a sharp eye for detail. We exchanged pleasantries before getting down to business.

I explained the situation to Victor, detailing the fabricated evidence against me and the circumstances that had led to my being framed. Victor listened carefully, his eyes flickering over to Daniel and Diego occasionally.

When I finished, Victor leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "I'll need to analyze the digital evidence to determine if it's been tampered with," he said. "But it's likely that we'll find something."

I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Maybe there was hope after all.

Over the next few days, Victor worked tirelessly to analyze the digital evidence we provided him. Daniel, Diego, and I waited anxiously for his report, hoping that he would find something to clear my name.

Finally, the day arrived when we would receive Victor's report. We met him in his office, the tension in the air thick with anticipation.

Victor handed us a thick report, his expression serious. "I've analyzed the digital evidence and found evidence of tampering," he said. "It's clear that the evidence against Isabella was fabricated."

I felt a sense of relief wash over me, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. We had done it. We had proved my innocence.

But the fight wasn't over yet. We still had to bring Miranda and her accomplices to justice. And I knew that they wouldn't go down without a fight.

As we left Victor's office, I turned to Daniel and Diego, determination burning in my eyes. "Let's take them down," I said. "Once and for all."

Daniel and Diego exchanged a glance, a silent communication passing between them. Finally, Daniel nodded, his jaw set with determination. "We'll do it," he said. "But we need to be smart about it. We can't just charge in there blindly."

I nodded in agreement. "What do you suggest?"

"We need to gather evidence," Diego said, his voice calm and measured. "Something that will prove their guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Daniel nodded in agreement. "And we need to be careful. Miranda and her minions won't go down without a fight. They'll be watching us closely."

I shuddered at the thought of being watched, of never knowing when they might strike. "What do we do?"

"We stay low-key," Diego said. "We don't draw attention to ourselves. And we start digging."

Over the next few weeks, we threw ourselves into our investigation, digging deep into Miranda's business dealings, trying to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing. It was slow going, and at times it felt like we were hitting a brick wall.

But we didn't give up. We worked tirelessly, fueled by our determination to bring those responsible for framing me to justice.

And finally, our hard work paid off. We uncovered a series of emails that implicated Miranda and her accomplices in the scheme to frame me. The emails outlined their plans in detail, from planting the evidence to bribing witnesses to testify against me.

We presented the evidence to Victor, who wasted no time in filing charges against Miranda and her accomplices. Within days, they were arrested and taken into custody.

As we watched them being led away in handcuffs, I felt a sense of satisfaction wash over me. We had done it. We had taken them down.

But as the adrenaline wore off, I realized that I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. The past few months had taken a toll on me, and I needed time to heal.

Daniel must have seen the exhaustion on my face because he pulled me into a tight embrace, holding me close. "It's over," he said softly. "You can finally rest."

I closed my eyes, feeling a sense of peace wash over me. It was over. Finally.

But as I leaned into Daniel's embrace, I couldn't help but wonder what would come next. What would happen to us now that the contract marriage was over? Would we go our separate ways, or would we stay together?

I didn't have the answers, but for the first time in a long time, I felt hopeful. Hopeful that whatever came next, I could face it with Daniel by my side.

As we walked out of the courthouse, hand in hand, I turned to Daniel with a small smile. "What now?" I asked him.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with warmth and affection. "Now, we start our real life together," he said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

I felt a flutter in my stomach at his words. It was true that our marriage had started as a business transaction, but over time, it had evolved into something more. Something real.

As we walked down the street, I felt a sense of freedom and lightness that I hadn't felt in a long time. We had survived the storm, and we were stronger for it.

But as we turned the corner, I saw a familiar face, and my heart sank.

It was Miranda.

She was standing outside a coffee shop, talking to a man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties. I could feel my pulse quicken as I recognized him.

It was Javier, one of the men who had helped frame me.

I turned to Daniel and Diego, panic written all over my face. "It's Miranda and Javier," I whispered urgently. "We have to get out of here."

But before we could make a move, Miranda turned and saw us. Her eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger.

"Well, well, well," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "Look who it is. The happy couple."

I could feel my heart racing as she approached us, Javier trailing behind her.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked, his voice cold and unyielding.

Miranda smirked. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Isabella," she said, her eyes flicking over to me. "On getting away with murder."

I felt a surge of anger and disbelief. How could she say something like that?

But before I could respond, Javier stepped forward, a sneer on his face. "You may have won this time," he said, his voice low and menacing. "But don't get too comfortable. We'll be back."

With that, they turned and walked away, leaving us standing there in stunned silence.

As we watched them disappear around the corner, I felt a sense of dread wash over me. They weren't done with us yet. I could feel it.

"We need to be careful," I said, turning to Daniel and Diego. "They'll be watching us."

They both nodded, and we continued walking, our senses on high alert.

But despite the danger that still lurked around us, I couldn't help but feel grateful. Grateful for Daniel, and for Diego, and for the fact that we had each other.

Together, we could face anything that came our way. And I knew that as long as we had each other, we would always come out on top.