Chapter 4: The Brother Who Sold My Future
The last person I expected to see standing in my living room was Ethan.
My brother.
My partner.
The person who had held my hand in the hospital after my accident and promised me that whoever was responsible would pay.
For six years, I had remembered that moment as proof that I wasn't alone.
Now I wondered if it had been the beginning of the lie.
The rain tapped against the windows.
The apartment was dark except for the faint glow from the city outside.
Claire stood between us.
Her hand was still wrapped around my arm.
Not because she was comforting me.
Because she was afraid of what would happen next.
"Ethan," I whispered.
He looked older than I remembered.
Not physically.
Not really.
But something in his face had changed.
The confidence was gone.
The charming smile he used to wear at every business dinner had disappeared.
"Adrian.""
His voice was quiet.
Almost apologetic.
Almost.
I stared at him.
"What are you doing here?""
He looked at Claire.
That one glance told me everything.
They had a history.
A conversation.
A secret.
"You told him," Ethan said.
Claire's face hardened.
"I had to.""
"No, you didn't.""
"Yes, I did.""
Their argument lasted only a few seconds.
But in those seconds, I understood something.
They weren't united.
They weren't partners.
They were two people trapped by the same mistake.
I looked between them.
"Someone want to explain why my wife and my brother are having a private argument in my apartment?""
Neither answered.
That silence was the answer.
I laughed once.
It wasn't because anything was funny.
It was because my life had become too absurd to process.
Six years ago, I lost the ability to walk.
Tonight, I discovered I had also lost the ability to trust.
"Start talking," I said.
Ethan looked away.
Claire stepped forward.
"Adrian—"
"No.""
My voice stopped her.
"I spent six years believing I knew the people closest to me.""
I looked at Ethan.
"I need to know how wrong I was.""
Ethan swallowed.
Then he slowly walked toward the table.
He placed something on it.
A folder.
The same kind of folder Daniel had shown me.
My stomach tightened.
"What's that?""
Ethan didn't answer.
"What's in the folder?""
"Everything.""
The word hung in the room.
I rolled closer.
Claire reached for it.
Ethan stopped her.
"No.""
She looked at him.
"You don't get to decide anymore.""
That sentence surprised me.
Because Claire sounded angry.
Not guilty.
Angry.
Like Ethan had crossed a line.
I opened the folder.
The first page was a company report.
My company.
The one I founded.
The one I built before the accident.
The one Ethan helped manage.
My eyes moved down the page.
Then stopped.
A series of transfers.
Millions of dollars moved into private accounts.
Shell companies.
Hidden payments.
My fingers went cold.
"How long?""
Ethan didn't answer.
"How long were you stealing from me?""
His face tightened.
"It wasn't like that.""
I looked up.
"Then what was it like?""
He stepped closer.
"Do you think I woke up one day and decided to destroy everything?""
I stared at him.
"Apparently.""
His expression cracked.
For a moment, I saw the brother I remembered.
The one who taught me how to ride a bike.
The one who slept on my apartment floor after my first breakup because he didn't trust me alone.
The one who stood beside me when we started our company with nothing but a laptop and a ridiculous idea.
Then it disappeared.
"After the accident," Ethan said, "everything changed.""
"Because I got hurt?""
"Because you started looking.""
I frowned.
"Looking at what?""
He glanced at Claire.
She looked down.
"Your company wasn't clean.""
I felt my heartbeat increase.
"What does that mean?""
"It means there were people using it.""
"Who?""
Ethan hesitated.
That hesitation made me angry.
"Who?""
He finally said:
"Your investors.""
I stared at him.
"No.""
"Adrian—"
"No.""
I shook my head.
"My investors trusted me.""
Ethan gave a bitter smile.
"You trusted everyone.""
The words hurt because they were true.
I had always believed trust was a strength.
I was beginning to understand that some people saw it as an opportunity.
"So what?"" I asked.
"You stole money because investors were corrupt?""
"No.""
Ethan looked at me.
"I moved money because I was trying to protect you.""
I almost laughed.
"Protect me?""
"Yes.""
"By hiding millions from me?""
"By stopping you from exposing people who would destroy you.""
The room went silent.
Claire moved closer.
"Adrian, he isn't lying about one thing.""
I turned toward her.
"I don't need you defending him.""
"I'm not defending him.""
"Then what are you doing?""
She looked at Ethan.
"Admitting that I knew.""
Those words hit harder than anything else.
"You knew?""
Claire nodded.
"I knew there was a problem before the accident.""
My chest tightened.
"And you didn't tell me?""
"I tried.""
"When?""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"That night.""
The rain outside seemed louder.
"The night of the accident?""
She nodded.
I stared at her.
"Claire...""
"I found documents in your office. I knew something was wrong. I called you because I wanted you to come home.""
My mind went back.
That night.
The phone call I missed.
The voicemail I never heard.
I had always assumed it was just another argument.
A normal disagreement.
"You told me you were busy.""
"I was angry.""
"Why?""
"Because I thought you were investigating something dangerous without telling me.""
I looked at Ethan.
"And then?""
Claire's voice became quieter.
"Then you left.""
A memory surfaced.
My car.
The wet road.
The headlights behind me.
A truck moving too fast.
The impact.
The sound of metal.
The pain.
I closed my eyes.
"Who was driving the truck?""
Nobody spoke.
That silence was unbearable.
"Ethan.""
He looked down.
"I don't know.""
"Don't lie to me.""
"I'm not.""
"You expect me to believe you don't know?""
His expression broke.
"I know who paid him.""
My breath stopped.
"Who?""
Ethan looked at the folder.
Then at me.
"That's why I'm here.""
I waited.
"The person behind the accident wasn't trying to hurt you.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"They were trying to scare you.""
The words made no sense.
"People don't cause car crashes to scare someone.""
"They do when they think someone is about to expose them.""
I looked at Claire.
Then Ethan.
"Who?""
Ethan opened his mouth.
Before he could speak, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Immediately, his face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He didn't answer.
The phone continued ringing.
Finally, he picked up.
"Hello?""
A few seconds passed.
Then Ethan's expression went pale.
"No.""
He looked at me.
Then at Claire.
"That's impossible.""
He listened again.
His hand began shaking.
"Ethan," Claire whispered.
He slowly lowered the phone.
"What happened?""
He didn't respond.
I moved closer.
"What happened?""
His eyes met mine.
And for the first time all night, I saw my brother completely terrified.
"Daniel was found unconscious in his office.""
My heart dropped.
"What?""
Ethan swallowed.
"The police think it was a break-in.""
Claire covered her mouth.
"But that's not the worst part.""
I stared at him.
"What could be worse?""
Ethan looked at the folder on the table.
Then said:
"The person who attacked Daniel left one message behind.""
The room went silent.
"What message?""
Ethan's voice barely came out.
"They wrote your name on the wall.""
I felt a chill run through me.
"Why?""
Ethan looked toward the dark window.
"Because they know you're still alive.""
A pause.
May you like
Then:
"And they want to finish what they started six years ago.""
