Chapter 8: The Woman I Thought I Knew
I didn’t speak for several seconds.
My mother looked at me.
She knew something had changed.
“Ethan?””
I slowly lowered the phone.
“Richard says you approved payments from Bennett House.””
Her face went pale.
William looked away.
That reaction told me everything.
“You knew.””
My mother’s eyes filled.
“I can explain.””
“Everyone says that.””
My voice cracked.
“Everyone has an explanation.””
She reached for me.
I stepped back.
“No.””
The woman who disappeared for twelve years.
The man who manipulated my company.
The friend who betrayed me.
Everyone had a reason.
Everyone had a story.
But I was the one left carrying the damage.
“Did you take money?””
My mother whispered:
“Yes.””
The answer hurt.
“Why?””
“Because I was paying someone.””
“Who?””
She looked at William.
I followed her eyes.
My anger shifted.
“William?””
He didn’t deny it.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
I stood.
“I understand perfectly.””
William shook his head.
“You think this is greed. It isn’t.””
“Then what is it?””
My mother answered.
“Protection.””
I laughed.
“Protection?””
She nodded.
“Your father left behind more than a business.””
“What?””
“A secret.””
I stared.
“What secret?””
My mother walked to the table and opened another envelope.
Inside was a letter.
My father’s handwriting.
I knew it instantly.
My hands shook as I read.
If Ethan ever discovers the truth, it means I failed to protect him.
I continued.
The person closest to me is the person I should have feared.
I looked up.
“Who?””
My mother’s voice broke.
“Marcus.””
I shook my head.
“But why?””
“Because Marcus believed your father stole his future.””
“And Vanessa?””
“She was a tool.””
A cold realization hit me.
Vanessa wasn’t controlling the game.
She was being used.
Marcus had fed her the story she wanted to believe.
He had turned her pain into a weapon.
My phone buzzed.
A video file.
From Vanessa.
I opened it.
She appeared on screen.
No makeup.
No smile.
Just anger.
“Ethan.””
Her voice was different.
Not arrogant.
Broken.
“I know you think I’m the villain.””
I watched silently.
“But you don’t know what Marcus did.””
She looked away.
“He told me your family destroyed mine.””
A tear fell.
“He gave me proof.””
She held up documents.
“Except I found out today they were fake.””
My eyes narrowed.
Vanessa continued.
“Marcus has been lying to everyone.””
The video ended.
A second later, another message appeared.
From Vanessa.
*I need to meet you. Alone.*
I looked at my mother.
Then William.
Then the letter.
The truth was no longer a straight line.
It was a maze.
And at the center of it was Marcus Reed.
The man who had stood beside me.
The man who knew every weakness.
The man who knew exactly where to hurt me.
I replied to Vanessa.
*Where?*
Her answer came immediately.
A location.
An abandoned warehouse downtown.
Then one more message appeared.
*Come alone. Marcus is coming too.*
I stared at those words.
Because for the first time since this nightmare began…
Vanessa Parker wasn’t threatening me.
She was afraid.
May you like
And whoever she was afraid of…
Was the same person I had trusted with my entire dream.
