PART 2
PART 2
Grace stared at her son as though she had never seen him before.
“For what she did to Beatrice?” she repeated.
Caleb's jaw tightened.
“You remember Beatrice.”
Grace searched her memory.
Beatrice Collins.
A quiet young woman Caleb had dated nearly four years earlier.
They had only been together for eight months before she suddenly disappeared from his life.
Whenever Grace asked about the breakup, Caleb always answered the same way.
"It just didn't work out."
Nothing more.
Now, the name returned like a ghost.
“What does Katherine have to do with Beatrice?” Grace asked carefully.
Caleb stood and walked toward the window.
Rain had started falling outside, tapping softly against the glass.
“She ruined her.”
Grace frowned.
“I don't understand.”
Caleb laughed bitterly.
“You never asked why Beatrice left town.”
“You told us the relationship ended.”
“Because I lied.”
The room became painfully quiet.
Robert folded his arms.
“Start talking.”
Caleb took a deep breath.
“Three years ago, Beatrice worked at Sterling Development with Katherine.”
Grace remembered.
Katherine had once mentioned working as an accountant before moving to Richmond.
“At first they were friends,” Caleb continued.
“Then money disappeared.”
Grace blinked.
“What money?”
“A project fund.”
He looked directly at his parents.
“Almost eighty thousand dollars.”
Grace's eyes widened.
“She stole it?”
“No.”
“Katherine accused Beatrice.”
Robert frowned.
“Was it true?”
Caleb shook his head.
“No.”
“She reported Beatrice to management.”
“There was an investigation.”
“Everyone believed Katherine.”
“Beatrice lost her job.”
“She lost her professional license.”
“She lost everything.”
Grace whispered,
“My God...”
“She couldn't find work.”
“She sold her apartment.”
“She stopped answering my calls.”
“One day she left Oakhaven Springs.”
“I never saw her again.”
His voice cracked.
“She sent me one email.”
Grace held her breath.
“What did it say?”
Caleb pulled his phone from his pocket.
His hands trembled as he opened an old message.
He read aloud.
"Sometimes innocence doesn't matter. Once people believe you're guilty, your life is already over."
No one spoke.
Grace felt tears sting her eyes.
“That still doesn't explain tonight.”
Caleb looked ashamed.
“I found out six months ago.”
“How?”
“I met someone who used to work with them.”
“He told me Katherine admitted she had blamed Beatrice to protect herself.”
Grace stared.
“She confessed?”
“Yes.”
“She laughed about it.”
“She said everyone needs someone else to fall.”
Robert's face darkened.
“You confirmed this?”
“I tried.”
“I confronted Katherine.”
“And?”
“She denied everything.”
“She cried.”
“She begged me to trust her.”
Grace looked confused.
“Then why marry her?”
Caleb's expression became frighteningly calm.
“Because I wanted her to feel safe.”
“I wanted her to believe she'd won.”
“And then…”
He stopped.
Grace suddenly felt sick.
“What did you do?”
Caleb closed his eyes.
“I rented a storage unit.”
“I recreated the office where Beatrice was accused.”
Grace felt her stomach twist.
“What?”
“I put copies of the investigation files on the desk.”
“Security photos.”
“Termination letters.”
“A recording of Beatrice crying.”
Robert's voice rose.
“You're insane.”
“I brought Katherine there after the reception.”
“She thought it was a surprise.”
“She walked inside.”
“She saw everything.”
Grace whispered,
“That scream…”
“She recognized the room.”
“She collapsed.”
“She admitted everything.”
The words echoed through the house.
Grace stared at her son.
“You recorded her?”
Caleb nodded.
“She confessed.”
“She admitted she framed Beatrice.”
“She admitted she forged financial records.”
“She admitted another employee actually stole the money.”
Grace covered her mouth.
Then something struck her.
“If she confessed…”
“Why does she look terrified?”
May you like
Caleb's eyes filled with tears.
“Because I wasn't finished.”
