Chapter 7: The Letter Wesley Found
For a moment, nobody moved.
Wesley stood in the doorway, holding the letter so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
Sterling looked at his son.
Not surprised.
Not angry.
Just tired.
Like he had been expecting this moment for years.
“Wesley,” I whispered.
He looked at me.
And the sadness in his eyes hurt more than anger ever could.
“I went to my father’s house.””
My heart raced.
“When?””
“This afternoon.””
“Why?””
He looked down at the letter.
“Because I needed to know if everything he told me was true.””
Sterling stepped forward.
“Son—”
“No.””
Wesley’s voice was sharper than I had ever heard.
“Not this time.””
The room went silent.
I had never seen Wesley speak to his father like that.
Not once.
Sterling slowly nodded.
“Fair enough.””
Wesley walked toward the desk and placed the letter beside the documents.
“I found this hidden behind a panel in your office.””
Sterling’s expression changed slightly.
“You weren’t supposed to find that.””
“Why?””
No answer.
Wesley laughed bitterly.
“That’s the problem, isn’t it? Everyone keeps deciding what I’m allowed to know.””
I looked between them.
“What is in the letter?””
Wesley looked at me.
His eyes softened for a second.
Then he handed it to me.
“It’s from my mother.””
My fingers froze.
I had heard about Wesley’s mother before.
But only briefly.
She died when he was young.
A tragedy.
A painful memory.
A subject he avoided.
I opened the letter carefully.
The handwriting was delicate.
Wesley,
If you are reading this, then your father finally decided you were old enough to understand.
I looked up.
“Understand what?””
Wesley looked away.
I continued.
Your father has spent years trying to protect you from the truth. But protection can become another kind of prison.
My stomach tightened.
The letter continued.
The day of the accident was not random.
I stopped.
“Accident?””
Wesley closed his eyes.
“What accident?””
I looked at him.
“You don’t know?””
He shook his head slowly.
“No.””
Sterling moved toward the window.
“Your mother never wanted you to remember that day.””
“Why?””
Sterling’s voice was quiet.
“Because you were six years old.””
Wesley stared at him.
“What happened?””
Sterling didn’t answer.
So I kept reading.
Your father’s business partner, Richard Vale, saved you. He put himself in danger to get you out.
My hands shook.
Richard.
My father.
The man I believed abandoned me.
The man Wesley’s family remembered as a hero.
The letter continued.
But after that day, someone used the accident to destroy both families.
I looked up.
“Who?””
Nobody spoke.
The silence was unbearable.
Finally, Wesley said:
“My mother knew.””
Sterling nodded.
“She did.””
“And you didn’t tell me?””
“I tried.””
Wesley turned sharply.
“No, you didn’t.””
Sterling looked at his son.
“You were a child.””
“And now I’m thirty-two.””
The words cut through the room.
Sterling lowered his eyes.
“I was afraid.””
I had never heard Sterling admit fear.
Not once.
Wesley noticed too.
“Afraid of what?””
Sterling looked at me.
Then at his son.
“Of losing both of you.””
I felt a chill.
“What does that mean?””
Sterling walked back to the desk.
“Your father and I discovered something after the accident.””
“Something about what?””
“About why the accident happened.””
Wesley picked up the letter.
“You mean someone caused it?””
Sterling nodded.
“Yes.””
The room became painfully quiet.
Wesley stared at the paper.
“And you knew who?””
Sterling hesitated.
That hesitation answered everything.
“You knew.””
“I suspected.””
“No.””
Wesley’s voice cracked.
“You knew.””
Sterling didn’t deny it.
I watched the man who had seemed impossible to break finally look defeated.
“Who was it?””
Sterling looked at Wesley.
Then at me.
“The person who had the most to gain from destroying your families.””
My breath caught.
“Who?””
Sterling opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression immediately changed.
“What?””
Wesley stepped closer.
“Who is it?””
Sterling answered.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Sterling’s face turned pale.
He lowered the phone.
“She knows we found out.””
My heart sank.
“Who?””
Sterling looked at me.
May you like
And said a name I never expected.
“Your mother.””
