Chapter 7: The Message On The Screen
The entire ballroom stared at the giant screen.
The lights flickered once more.
Then the darkness disappeared.
A single sentence appeared in white letters.
*THE PERSON YOU TRUSTED MOST WAS NEVER ON YOUR SIDE.*
A wave of whispers moved through the crowd.
Nobody knew what to say.
Nobody knew who the message was meant for.
Except me.
Because beneath the sentence was a name.
My name.
ETHAN CARTER.
I felt my heartbeat slow.
Not because I was calm.
Because I was trying to understand.
Whoever sent this message wasn’t trying to hide.
They wanted everyone here to see it.
The man beside me stepped closer.
“Mr. Carter, this wasn’t part of our presentation.””
“I know.””
My eyes stayed on the screen.
Brooke looked terrified.
Chad looked angry.
But the person standing near the entrance looked completely frozen.
That reaction told me everything.
They knew.
“Turn it off,” Chad suddenly said.
Nobody moved.
He looked toward the event staff.
“I said turn it off!””
The staff members looked at me.
Because they knew who had authority.
Not Chad.
Me.
I raised my hand.
“Leave it.””
The screen continued.
A video started playing.
The ballroom became completely silent.
The footage showed a private office.
A man sitting at a desk.
Chad.
My stomach tightened.
The recording was dated months before my accident.
Chad was talking to someone off camera.
“We just need him gone long enough.””
The room gasped.
I watched without blinking.
The voice from the video continued.
“He trusts everyone around him. That’s his weakness.””
Chad’s face turned pale.
“That’s edited.””
Nobody believed him.
The video continued.
Another voice spoke.
A familiar voice.
Brooke.
My entire body went still.
“I don’t want him hurt.””
The room went silent.
Brooke covered her mouth.
“No…”
The recording continued.
“Then convince him to step away. Make him believe he’s the problem.””
I looked at Brooke.
She looked like she wanted to disappear.
“Ethan, I can explain.””
I didn’t look away from the screen.
“Not yet.””
The video ended.
The ballroom exploded with voices.
People who had ignored me earlier were suddenly asking questions.
People who had laughed were now uncomfortable.
Chad stepped forward.
“You don’t understand what you saw.””
I turned.
“I understand enough.””
“No, you don’t.””
He pointed at the screen.
“You think a recording proves everything?””
I looked at him.
“You were talking about removing me before my accident.””
His expression tightened.
“That doesn’t mean—”
“Before my accident.””
My voice became colder.
“Say the rest.””
He stopped.
Because he couldn’t.
Brooke walked toward me.
Tears were running down her face.
“Ethan.””
I finally looked at her.
“Why?””
She shook her head.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
She looked at Chad.
“That he would expose everything.””
The room went silent again.
I studied her.
“You knew.””
She closed her eyes.
“I knew something was wrong.””
My hands curled into fists.
“But you still left me.””
She looked down.
“I thought you would never forgive me.””
I almost laughed.
The pain was too deep for anger.
“You didn’t give me the chance.””
She cried silently.
And for the first time, I saw regret.
Real regret.
But regret after betrayal didn’t erase the damage.
A loud crash suddenly came from the back of the ballroom.
Everyone turned.
A man had dropped a briefcase on the floor.
He looked nervous.
Too nervous.
The security team moved toward him.
“Stop!””
The man raised his hands.
“I’m not here to hurt anyone.””
I walked closer.
“Who are you?””
He looked at me.
Then at the screen.
Then whispered:
“I’m the person who tried to warn you before the accident.””
My expression changed.
“What?””
He opened the briefcase.
Inside were files.
Photographs.
And one envelope.
He handed it to me.
“This contains the truth about what happened that night.””
I stared at the envelope.
The handwriting on the front was familiar.
Because I recognized it immediately.
May you like
It was mine.
But I had never written it.
