Chapter 10 - The Midpoint Twist: My Father Knew Everything
Jonathan Pierce.
That name changed the entire investigation.
Because according to Miriam…
he should not have existed.
Not anymore.
I sat in the conference room while Miriam searched through old records.
“Who is he?”
She looked troubled.
“Someone your father trusted.”
I frowned.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know him?”
Miriam looked at the documents.
“Because twenty years ago, he was one of Hartwell’s earliest investors.”
I stared.
“Investor?”
She nodded.
“Before Hartwell became what it is today.”
I leaned back.
“So why is he calling me now?”
Miriam didn’t answer.
Because she didn’t know.
And that bothered her.
Jonathan called again.
This time, I answered.
“Evelyn.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“You finally opened the file.”
I froze.
“How do you know about that?”
A small pause.
“Because your father told me you would.”
My stomach tightened.
“No.”
“Yes.”
His voice softened.
“Thomas Hartwell knew people would eventually come after what he built.”
I looked at Miriam.
She looked equally shocked.
“What are you?”
“Someone who tried to warn him.”
The words caught me.
“Warn him about what?”
A pause.
“About Nathan.”
The room went silent.
My father knew.
Not suspected.
Not guessed.
Knew.
“How long?”
“Before your engagement.”
My hands tightened.
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
Jonathan sighed.
“Because your father loved you.”
I almost laughed.
“Then why hide the truth?”
“Because he believed telling you would make you choose fear over love.”
The answer hurt.
Because it sounded exactly like my father.
He always believed people deserved the chance to prove themselves.
Even when they didn’t.
Jonathan continued.
“Your father created the emergency file for one reason.”
“Why?”
“To protect you from someone who would marry you for access.”
Silence.
I looked at the documents.
The marriage clause.
The protection system.
Everything suddenly connected.
My father had built a shield around me.
Not because he thought I was weak.
Because he knew people would underestimate me.
“Why are you helping me?”
Jonathan didn’t answer immediately.
Then:
“Because I failed your father.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“I trusted the wrong people.”
A pause.
“And by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late.”
That night, I opened the final section of my father’s file.
The section I had avoided.
The one marked:
READ ONLY AFTER BETRAYAL IS CONFIRMED.
Inside was another letter.
This one longer.
More personal.
My father’s handwriting shook slightly.
Evelyn,
If you are reading this, then I am sorry.
I stopped.
Sorry.
My father rarely apologized.
Not because I failed to protect Hartwell.
Because I failed to protect you from believing you needed anyone’s approval.
My eyes burned.
I continued.
Your greatest weakness was never trusting people.
Your greatest weakness was believing that being loved meant accepting less than you deserved.
I had to stop reading.
Because that was exactly what I had done.
With Nathan.
With my family.
With everyone.
Then came the final page.
The page that changed everything.
Nathan Whitmore was not the first person to attempt this.
My heart stopped.
Below that:
There was someone before him.
A name.
A name I recognized.
A name that made me stand immediately.
Because it belonged to someone I never suspected.
Someone close.
Someone who had been helping me investigate.
Someone who knew every move I made.
I looked at Miriam.
She saw my face.
“What is it?”
I handed her the page.
She read the name.
And her expression changed.
“Impossible.”
Because the person my father warned me about…
was not Nathan.
Not Sienna.
Not Michael Carter.
It was someone who had been standing beside me from the beginning.
And suddenly…
May you like
I realized the honeymoon betrayal was only the first move.
The real war had not started yet.
