Chapter 10: The Brother Nobody Knew
I stared at the name until the letters blurred.
Daniel Hawthorne.
My father's brother.
The man I had never heard about.
The man who was supposedly just a rumor.
But according to the hospital record, he had been there the night my family was destroyed.
“How?””
My voice barely came out.
Nathaniel closed the folder.
“We need to verify everything before we make assumptions.””
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Everyone keeps telling me to wait for proof.””
I pointed at the papers.
“This is proof.””
Adrian stood across the room, silent.
I turned toward him.
“You knew.””
His expression tightened.
“I knew about Daniel.””
“How long?””
“Since before I met you.””
The anger inside me burned.
“So everyone knew except me.””
“Evelyn—”
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You don't get to say my name like you still know me.””
That hurt him.
Good.
Because I had spent years believing I knew him.
Adrian looked down.
“I found Daniel because your mother asked me to.””
The room froze.
“My mother?””
“Yes.””
“Why would my mother ask you to find him?””
Adrian swallowed.
“Because Daniel was the only person who knew the truth about your father's death.””
I looked at Nathaniel.
“Did my father kill Daniel?””
Nobody answered.
That silence terrified me.
Finally, Adrian said:
“No.””
“Then what happened?””
He walked toward the table.
Slowly.
Like every step carried a memory he hated.
“Daniel discovered Bellweather was using Hawthorne Capital to move money.””
I frowned.
“But Bellweather belonged to Blackwood.””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn't he expose them?””
“Because he found out someone else was involved.””
“Who?””
Adrian looked at me.
“Your mother.””
I shook my head.
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it's true.””
“No.””
I grabbed the file.
“My mother was dead.””
Adrian's eyes softened.
“You believed that.””
The sentence cut deeper than any insult from the banquet.
Because suddenly I realized something.
Everyone around me had been protecting a secret.
Not me.
The secret.
Nathaniel received a call.
He answered.
“Ross.””
His expression changed within seconds.
“What do you mean missing?””
I looked at him.
“What happened?””
He ended the call.
“Daniel's hospital records were accessed.””
“When?””
“Twenty minutes ago.””
“By who?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“The request came from inside Hawthorne Memorial.””
My stomach dropped.
“Someone is deleting evidence.””
Nathaniel nodded.
Adrian suddenly moved toward the door.
I stopped him.
“Where are you going?””
“To find out who.””
“You think you can just leave?””
His eyes met mine.
“Evelyn, if they know you found Daniel's records, you're in danger.””
I almost laughed.
“Now you're worried about me?””
“Yes.””
The answer was immediate.
Too immediate.
For a second, I saw the man I married.
Then I remembered the stage.
The kiss.
The humiliation.
The betrayal.
“You don't get to protect me after destroying me.””
His face fell.
“I know.””
That was the first honest thing he'd said.
Hours later, we arrived at Hawthorne Memorial.
The hospital looked exactly the same.
White walls.
Quiet hallways.
The smell of antiseptic.
But now every corner felt like it was hiding something.
The records department was locked.
Nathaniel showed his credentials.
The clerk immediately looked nervous.
“Who accessed Daniel Hawthorne's file?””
The clerk swallowed.
“I can't disclose that.””
Nathaniel placed a legal order on the desk.
“Now you can.””
The clerk looked at the paper.
Then at me.
“I’m sorry.””
“Who was it?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Victoria Vale.””
My heart stopped.
Adrian's mother.
The woman who sat beside the stage.
The woman who told me to leave with dignity.
The woman who watched her son destroy me.
Adrian stepped forward.
“My mother?””
The clerk nodded.
“She came in person.””
“When?””
“Last night.””
The exact night of the banquet.
Nathaniel looked at me.
“She knew.””
I walked away from them.
My mind was racing.
Victoria wasn't just protecting Adrian.
She was protecting herself.
We found the archived room thirty minutes later.
Inside was a locked cabinet.
The clerk gave us the access code.
“This was added three years ago.””
I looked at Adrian.
Three years.
The year my father died.
Nathaniel opened the cabinet.
Inside were documents.
Photographs.
Medical reports.
And one envelope.
My name was written on it.
Again.
EVELYN.
I reached for it.
But before I could open it, Adrian grabbed my arm.
“Wait.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
His face had gone pale.
“Because I know who wrote it.””
“Who?””
He stared at the envelope.
May you like
And whispered:
“Your father.””
