Chapter 5: The Man I Trusted Most
The ballroom seemed to shrink around me.
Daniel stood in front of the altar with his hands raised slightly, as though he expected me to attack him.
I couldn't speak.
For seventeen years, I had trusted this man with everything.
And now my eight-year-old niece was telling me he had been at the scene of my sister's fatal accident.
“Tell me,” I finally said.
Daniel looked at the floor.
“Marcus, I didn't kill Emily.””
I stepped closer.
“That's an interesting place to start.””
“She was already in the car when I arrived.””
“Why were you there?””
“Because Vanessa called me.””
I turned toward Vanessa.
Her face had become expressionless.
“Don't look at me,” she said.
Daniel continued.
“She told me Emily was threatening to expose the financial arrangement. She said Emily had stolen documents from the company and was going to take them to the police.””
“So you went to her house?””
“Yes.””
“And then?””
“She had already left.””
“Then why did Lily see you?””
Daniel swallowed.
“Because I followed her.””
My blood ran cold.
“You followed my sister?””
“She was driving toward the highway. I wanted to talk to her.””
“You wanted to stop her.””
“I wanted to recover the documents.””
I stared at him.
He didn't deny it.
“Did you cause the accident?””
“No.””
“Did you touch her car?””
“No.””
“Did you see what happened?””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
A sharp sound escaped Evelyn.
She covered her mouth.
I felt the room spinning.
“Tell me everything.””
Daniel took a shaky breath.
“I followed Emily for about fifteen minutes. She knew I was behind her. She called me and told me to leave her alone. I tried to pass her near the old bridge.””
“Why?””
“Because I wanted her to stop.””
“And?””
“She lost control.””
I grabbed his jacket.
“You were chasing her?””
Daniel didn't resist.
“I didn't know the road was that dangerous.””
“You were chasing my sister in the rain?””
“I thought she would pull over!””
I shoved him away.
He stumbled against a chair.
Several guests gasped.
Daniel straightened his jacket.
“Marcus, I swear I never wanted her dead.””
I wanted to hit him.
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I looked at Lily.
She was crying silently.
I lowered my voice.
“Sweetheart, what happened after the accident?””
Lily held her purse against her chest.
“I remember the car stopped.””
I crouched beside her.
“Take your time.””
“Mommy was hurt. I was scared. I called for her.””
My chest tightened.
“Then what?””
“A man came.””
“Daniel?””
She nodded.
“He opened the door. He told me not to move.””
Daniel's face crumpled.
Lily continued.
“He looked at Mommy. Then he took something from the front seat.””
“What did he take?””
“A black folder.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Is that true?””
He said nothing.
Lily wiped her cheeks.
“Then he told me Mommy was sleeping and that I should be quiet.””
Evelyn began sobbing.
I held Lily's hand.
“Did he call an ambulance?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
The entire room seemed to lose its air.
I looked at Daniel.
“You left her there?””
He looked devastated.
“I panicked.””
“You left my sister and her little girl beside a wrecked car?””
“I thought she was dead!””
“And Lily?””
Daniel lowered his head.
“I didn't know what to do.””
“You were a grown man. She was four years old.””
“I know.””
“You could have saved them.””
Daniel started crying.
“I know!””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Vanessa stepped forward.
“Marcus, stop. This is not helping anyone.””
I turned toward her.
“You knew?””
She hesitated.
“Of course I knew Daniel had gone to speak to Emily.””
“Did you know he followed her?””
“I didn't know about the accident.””
“Did you know he took the folder?””
Her silence answered me.
I looked at Richard.
“And you?””
Richard adjusted his cufflinks.
“I have no idea what you're talking about.””
I laughed.
“You were on video discussing Emily. You knew about the trust. You knew she had documents. And now you're telling me you know nothing?””
Richard's voice became colder.
“Be careful, Marcus. You're making accusations you cannot support.””
I stepped closer.
“Then perhaps the police can help us establish the truth.””
Richard's expression changed.
Vanessa immediately grabbed my arm.
“Don't.””
I looked at her hand.
“Get away from me.””
She released me.
“Marcus, think about what you're doing. If you involve the police, this will become a public scandal. Your company's reputation will be destroyed.””
“My sister is dead.””
“And I am the woman you were going to marry!””
I stared at her.
“That is exactly what I am no longer doing.””
She slapped me.
The sound cracked through the ballroom.
Daniel moved forward, but I raised a hand.
“No.””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“You can't throw away three years because of a few videos.””
“Three years?””
“Yes. Three years of loving you.””
I looked at her.
“Did you ever love me?””
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
I nodded slowly.
“That answers my question.””
A security officer approached.
“Sir, should we contact the police?””
“Yes. And preserve every recording from this room. Nobody deletes anything.””
Richard immediately reached for his phone.
Daniel noticed.
“Don't.””
Richard glared at him.
“You've said enough.””
But Daniel stepped forward.
“Marcus, there's something else.””
I closed my eyes.
I couldn't believe there was anything left.
“What now?””
Daniel looked toward Vanessa.
“She didn't just ask me to follow Emily.””
Vanessa's face went pale.
“She told me to make sure the documents never reached you.””
I stared at him.
“How?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small envelope.
It was old, yellowed, and sealed.
“Emily gave me this two days before she died,” he said.
I recognized my sister's handwriting immediately.
My name was written across the front.
I took it.
Inside was a single photograph.
Emily stood beside a man outside a hospital.
The man was holding a newborn baby.
On the back, Emily had written:
*Marcus, this is the person who knows the truth about Lily's father.*
I looked at the photograph again.
The man wasn't James.
It wasn't Richard.
And it wasn't Daniel.
It was my father.
My father, who had supposedly died three years before Lily was born.
I looked up at Evelyn.
She had gone completely white.
“Evelyn,” I whispered.
“Why is my father holding my sister's baby?””
She covered her mouth.
Then she began to cry.
“Marcus,” she said, “there is something Emily never had the courage to tell you.””
She glanced toward Lily.
Then toward the photograph.
And finally, she whispered:
“James Carter wasn't Lily's biological father.””
The room fell silent.
I stared at her.
“Then who was?””
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
She looked at me.
“Your father.””
And just as the words left her mouth, my phone began vibrating.
An unknown number.
A text appeared on the screen.
*STOP ASKING ABOUT LILY'S FATHER. YOUR SISTER WASN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO DIED BECAUSE OF THAT SECRET.*
May you like
A second message followed.
*ASK YOUR GRANDMOTHER WHAT HAPPENED TO JAMES CARTER.*
