Chapter 3: The Secret Behind the Accident
I read the message again.
Then again.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
For six months, I had believed my accident was a random tragedy.
A drunk driver.
A dark road.
A moment of bad luck.
That was the story everyone accepted.
But now someone was telling me it was something else.
Something planned.
“Ethan?””
Isabella’s voice pulled me back.
I looked at her.
“Are you okay?””
I locked my phone.
“No.””
The honesty surprised me.
Because I had spent months pretending nothing could hurt me anymore.
Not Brooke leaving.
Not Chad betraying me.
Not losing control of the company I built.
But this was different.
Someone had tried to destroy my life.
And I didn’t know why.
The officers escorted Chad away from the center of the ballroom.
He looked back at me.
Not angry.
Not defeated.
Terrified.
That was when I knew the message might be true.
A guilty man fears punishment.
An innocent man fears a misunderstanding.
But a man hiding a bigger secret fears the truth coming out.
Brooke approached slowly.
“Ethan.””
I looked at her.
She stopped a few feet away.
For once, she didn’t seem confident.
“I didn’t know about the money.””
I said nothing.
“I swear.””
“You swore a lot of things.””
Her eyes dropped.
“I made mistakes.””
I almost laughed.
“Mistakes?””
She swallowed.
“I thought you were going to lose everything.””
“And that changed how you felt about me?””
She didn’t answer.
That was the answer.
A waiter walked by carrying empty glasses.
The normal movement of the room felt strange after everything that had happened.
People were still watching.
Still judging.
But for the first time in months, I didn’t care.
I turned to Isabella.
“Who sent me that message?””
She looked at my phone.
“I don’t know.””
“Can you find out?””
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
“I can try.””
That answer made me curious.
“You can do more than serve drinks, can’t you?””
A small smile appeared on her face.
“I never said I was only a banquet attendant.””
“Who are you?””
Before she could answer, my lawyer, Daniel Hayes, rushed toward us.
He had been waiting near the entrance.
“Ethan.””
His expression was serious.
“We have a problem.””
I knew that tone.
“What happened?””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“The police found enough evidence against Chad and Margaret.””
“Good.””
“No.””
He looked toward the ballroom doors.
“Because someone deleted the original accident report from the insurance database.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
Daniel handed me a tablet.
On the screen was my accident file.
Most of the information was there.
Except one section.
The driver details.
The vehicle inspection.
The witness statement.
All removed.
“Who had access?”” I asked.
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“Only people connected to your company.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Chad.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Maybe.””
That word bothered me.
Maybe.
Because everyone kept pointing at Chad.
But the person who wanted me to look only at Chad could be someone else.
I looked across the ballroom.
Margaret was gone.
Brooke stood alone.
And Isabella was staring at something near the entrance.
“What is it?”” I asked.
She didn’t answer immediately.
Then she walked toward a table where guests had left their coats.
She picked up a small envelope.
My name was written on it.
Not printed.
Handwritten.
By someone who knew me.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a photograph.
A picture taken the night of my accident.
My car.
The damaged road.
And a person standing beside the vehicle before emergency crews arrived.
I stared at the photo.
Because I recognized the person immediately.
It was someone I trusted.
Someone who had cried beside my hospital bed.
Someone who had told me they were there to help me recover.
May you like
On the back of the photograph were six words:
“Ask your father why he lied.””
