Chapter 9: The Friend Who Sold My Life
The name on Chloe’s phone was the one person I never expected to see.
Samantha Reed.
My best friend.
My maid of honor.
The woman who had sat beside my hospital bed when I was sick during my first trimester.
The woman who cried with me when Daniel’s family made cruel comments about my pregnancy.
The woman who hugged me and whispered, “You deserve better than people who make you feel small.””
My vision blurred.
“No.””
The word left my mouth before I even realized I had spoken.
Chloe smiled.
“Yes.””
She held up the phone.
“Your precious Samantha started everything.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
My father looked at me carefully.
“Emma.””
I looked at him.
“She wouldn’t.””
My father’s expression softened.
“People are not always who we believe they are.””
I hated that he was right.
I hated that those words sounded exactly like something I would have told someone else.
The police officer stepped closer.
“May I see the phone?””
Chloe hesitated.
For the first time all night, she looked uncertain.
The officer extended his hand.
“Now.””
She slowly gave it to him.
He examined the screen.
Then his expression changed.
“Where did you get this?””
Chloe looked at Daniel.
“From him.””
Everyone turned.
Daniel’s face went pale.
“What?””
“You heard me.””
She laughed bitterly.
“You think I kept quiet because I cared about you?””
Daniel stared.
“Then why?””
“Because Samantha promised me money.””
The room erupted.
I felt like I was watching strangers destroy each other.
“What money?”” I asked.
Chloe looked at me.
“The kind your husband was supposed to receive after you lost custody of the baby.””
My stomach turned.
I looked at Daniel.
He looked horrified.
“I didn’t know about that.””
“Stop lying,” Chloe snapped.
“I’m not!””
“You knew enough.””
The police officer held up the phone.
“Everyone needs to stop talking.””
The room became quiet.
He looked at the messages.
“There are several conversations.””
He scrolled.
Then looked at me.
“Mrs. Hayes, I need to ask you something.””
“What?””
“Did Samantha Reed have access to your personal information?””
I swallowed.
“Yes.””
“How much?””
I closed my eyes.
Almost everything.
She knew my passwords.
My schedule.
My medical appointments.
My family history.
Everything.
Because she was my closest friend.
The officer nodded.
“That explains the forged documents.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He showed me the phone.
“She provided your personal details.””
My chest tightened.
“No.””
“She also sent information about your pregnancy.””
I stared at the screen.
Messages between Samantha and Chloe.
Dates.
Times.
Private conversations.
My pregnancy symptoms.
Doctor visits.
Even the name of my unborn child.
Things I had only shared with Samantha.
I felt sick.
My father placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Emma.””
I stepped away.
Not because I didn’t need him.
Because I couldn’t understand.
How could someone who knew my pain become the person who caused it?
Chloe watched me.
And suddenly, I understood something.
She wasn’t showing me this because she cared.
She was showing me because she wanted to survive.
“You’re enjoying this,” I said.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
“You wanted me destroyed.””
She looked away.
For once, she had no clever response.
The officer continued reading.
Then he stopped.
“Wait.””
Everyone looked at him.
“What?””
He stared at the screen.
“There’s a message from Samantha to someone else.””
My father frowned.
“Who?””
The officer read slowly.
“Unknown number.””
He looked at the message.
Then his face hardened.
“What does it say?””
He hesitated.
Then:
“‘The husband is ready. The sister is emotional enough. The mother will do anything for control. Once Emma is gone, we move to the final step.’”
Silence.
A terrible silence.
My heart started pounding.
“The final step?””
Nobody answered.
The officer kept scrolling.
“There’s an attachment.””
He opened it.
A document appeared.
The title was clear.
Guardianship Transfer Agreement.
My hands went numb.
My baby.
Again.
Everything came back to that.
They didn’t just want me embarrassed.
They didn’t just want my money.
They wanted my child.
My father looked at Daniel.
“You knew.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
“You knew they were trying to take your child.””
“No.””
“Then why did you sign?””
Daniel looked broken.
“I didn’t.””
The attorney stepped forward.
“Mr. Hayes.””
He pointed at the document.
“There is a signature.””
Daniel stared.
Then whispered:
“That isn’t mine.””
Everyone froze.
“What?””
He stepped closer.
“That’s not my signature.””
The attorney compared it.
He looked surprised.
“You’re right.””
I looked at Daniel.
“You mean…”
Someone had forged his signature too.
The entire plan suddenly became bigger.
More organized.
More dangerous.
The question was no longer who wanted me gone.
The question was who had the power to make everyone believe it.
The officer looked at the message history again.
“There’s one more thing.””
“What?””
He turned the phone around.
“The unknown number sent Samantha instructions.””
My father leaned forward.
“From who?””
The officer looked at the screen.
Then said:
“An employee inside Whitmore Holdings.””
Daniel’s face changed.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Who?””
He whispered:
“Marcus.””
My stomach dropped.
Marcus Whitmore.
Daniel’s uncle.
The man who controlled the company.
The man who had hugged me tonight and told me I was family.
The man who had stood in the front row while I was humiliated.
My father looked toward the ballroom entrance.
“Where is he?””
Nobody answered.
Because everyone suddenly realized something.
Marcus was gone.
The officer checked the exits.
“He left before we arrived.””
My father’s jaw tightened.
“He knew.””
A cold wind moved through the ballroom.
The wedding celebration was over.
But the real betrayal had just begun.
Then Daniel’s phone rang.
Everyone looked at it.
The screen showed one name.
Marcus.
Daniel answered on speaker.
“Hello?””
A deep voice filled the room.
“Daniel.””
Everyone listened.
“You made a mistake bringing your father-in-law here.””
Daniel looked at me.
“What do you want?””
A pause.
Then Marcus laughed.
“I want what your wife was supposed to give us.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
Marcus continued.
“The inheritance.””
My father stepped forward.
“You won’t get anything.””
Marcus ignored him.
“Actually, Richard, you should ask your daughter something.””
My father frowned.
“What?””
Marcus laughed.
“Ask Emma why she never questioned where her biological mother disappeared to.””
The room went silent.
I stopped breathing.
Because that was the one wound I had never allowed anyone to touch.
My mother.
The woman who vanished when I was a child.
The woman everyone told me not to ask about.
Marcus whispered:
“She didn’t leave you.””
May you like
My hands shook.
“She was taken.””
