Chapter 8
I walked outside.
Nobody stopped me.
Maybe they finally understood that I needed space more than protection.
I stood beside a police cruiser and stared at nothing.
Ryan’s father had been murdered.
My parents knew.
For twenty years.
And Ryan had married me.
Maybe loved me.
Maybe hated me.
Maybe both.
Dad came outside first.
I didn’t look at him.
“Go away.”
“I need to explain.”
“No.”
“Sarah.”
I turned.
“You knew a man was murdered?”
Dad’s eyes were wet.
“We suspected.”
“Ryan said you knew.”
“Claire had evidence that Victor arranged payments around Michael Cole’s death.”
“Did you go to police?”
“No.”
I laughed.
“Of course not.”
“Sarah, Victor had already threatened you.”
“I was a child.”
“You were eleven.”
“And Michael Cole was somebody’s father!”
Dad flinched.
That one landed.
“You chose me.”
“Yes.”
“You let another family lose their father because you chose me.”
His voice broke.
“Yes.”
I wanted to hate him.
It would have been easier.
But he looked like he had hated himself for twenty years already.
Mom joined us.
“I made the decision.”
Dad immediately said, “We both did.”
She shook her head.
“No. I found the evidence. I hid it.”
I stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because Victor told me if I went to police, he would kill you.”
“So you let him get away with murder.”
“Yes.”
Her answer was almost a whisper.
I turned away.
Mom continued.
“I told myself I would expose him later.”
“When?”
“When you were safe.”
“And when was that supposed to be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly.”
A car door slammed behind us.
Lauren approached.
Her son remained with officers.
She had clearly been crying.
She looked at Mom.
“You knew Uncle Michael was murdered?”
Mom nodded.
Lauren slapped her.
Hard.
Dad stepped between them.
Lauren pointed at Mom.
“Ryan grew up without his father because your brother killed him.”
“I know.”
“My son has spent his entire life without Ryan because Ryan became obsessed with destroying this family.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying you know!”
I almost laughed bitterly.
Apparently Mom did that to everyone.
Lauren looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For Ryan.”
“You didn’t make him beat me.”
“I brought him back into this family three years ago.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
She explained.
Ryan contacted her after Ethan discovered the truth about his father.
Ryan wanted to reconnect with his son.
Lauren agreed.
At first, she thought he had changed.
Then he began asking questions about Victor.
About the trusts.
About the ledger.
“And you introduced him to my mother.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I thought Claire could give him closure.”
Instead, Mom gave him information.
Enough to start a war.
Hale came outside.
“We found something else.”
Inside the warehouse was an office.
Behind a false wall, police discovered recording equipment.
Victor had been using the warehouse for meetings.
Cameras captured everything.
Including a meeting from six months earlier.
Ryan and Victor.
We watched the footage.
Victor looked older than I remembered.
Silver hair.
Expensive suit.
Cold eyes.
Ryan sat across from him.
Victor said, “You married her. You have access. Why is this taking so long?”
My stomach twisted.
Ryan replied, “Because Sarah isn’t stupid.”
I couldn’t decide whether that was a compliment or an insult.
Victor leaned forward.
“She trusts you.”
“Not with the house.”
“Then make her.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened.
“I won’t hurt her.”
I stared at the screen.
Six months ago, he had said that.
Victor laughed.
“You think sleeping beside her makes you different from the rest of us?”
“Leave Sarah out of it.”
“She is the key.”
Ryan stood.
“The deal was I get access to the trust, you give me everything about my father.”
Victor smiled.
“You get nothing until the property is transferred.”
The recording ended there.
I felt physically sick.
Ryan had married me as part of a plan.
Yet even then, he claimed he wouldn’t hurt me.
Then he did.
Whatever line he once believed he wouldn’t cross had disappeared.
Hale looked at me.
“There’s another recording.”
I nodded.
Play it.
This one was from three weeks ago.
Ryan entered the warehouse furious.
He threw photographs onto Victor’s desk.
“You lied.”
Victor barely looked at them.
“About?”
“My father.”
Silence.
Ryan slammed the black ledger down.
“I know you killed him.”
Victor’s calm finally cracked.
“Where did you get that?”
Ryan smiled.
“Scared?”
Victor stood.
“You have no idea what you’re holding.”
“I know exactly what I’m holding.”
“You stole it from Claire.”
“I found it before she could.”
Victor stepped closer.
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
“What do you want?”
Ryan’s answer came immediately.
“Your confession.”
Victor laughed.
Ryan continued.
“And Sarah gets her house back.”
My breath caught.
Victor shook his head.
“You’ve gone soft.”
“No.”
“You love her.”
Ryan didn’t answer.
Victor smiled.
“That was not part of the plan.”
Ryan’s silence said enough.
I looked away.
I hated that my heart reacted.
A man could love me and still abuse me.
One truth did not erase the other.
Victor said, “If Sarah knew why you married her, she would never forgive you.”
Ryan stared at him.
“She doesn’t have to.”
“Then why protect her?”
Ryan’s expression turned cold.
“Because she’s the only decent person in this entire rotten family.”
The video stopped.
I felt tears burn my eyes.
I refused to let them fall.
Dad touched my shoulder.
I stepped away.
“Don’t.”
Hale’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed almost immediately.
“Where?”
He listened.
Then looked at me.
“They found Ryan.”
My heart jumped.
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“County General Hospital.”
“What happened?”
“Someone shot him.”
Lauren gasped.
Hale continued.
“He walked into an emergency room ten minutes ago.”
“Did he say who shot him?”
“Yes.”
I already knew.
“Victor.”
Hale nodded.
We arrived at the hospital under police escort.
Ryan was in surgery.
A bullet had gone through his shoulder.
Another grazed his side.
He was expected to survive.
I sat in the waiting area staring at the floor.
Why was I there?
I didn’t know.
Maybe because he was my husband.
Maybe because he was the man who had nearly destroyed me.
Maybe because I needed to look into his eyes and ask why.
Three hours later, a nurse allowed me inside.
Two officers stood outside his room.
Ryan looked pale.
Weak.
Nothing like the man who had towered over me in our kitchen.
His eyes opened.
He saw me.
“Sarah.”
I remained by the door.
“Don’t.”
He swallowed.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care.”
He closed his eyes.
“You should.”
“Why?”
“Because I mean it.”
“You hit me.”
His jaw tightened.
“I know.”
“You married me because of my family.”
“At first.”
The words cut.
Even though I expected them.
“At first?”
“I was supposed to get close to you.”
“For the trust.”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
He looked at me.
“I fell in love with you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Is that what you call what happened in the kitchen?”
“No.”
His eyes filled with shame.
“That was me becoming the thing I hated.”
I said nothing.
He continued.
“I spent my whole life believing Victor destroyed my father. I thought if I could destroy him back, everything would be fixed.”
“So you destroyed me instead.”
His eyes closed.
“Yes.”
The simple answer hurt more than an excuse would have.
I stepped closer.
“Where is the ledger?”
Ryan looked toward the door.
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“I’ll tell Hale.”
“No. Tell me.”
He studied me.
Then nodded.
“Your mother’s grave.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“The empty coffin.”
My skin prickled.
“I put the ledger inside it.”
I almost laughed at the cruelty of it.
The truth hidden inside the grave of a woman who had never died.
“Why?”
“Victor would never look there. He knew the coffin was empty when it was buried.”
“And now?”
“He knows I have the ledger, but not where.”
I turned to leave.
“Sarah.”
I stopped.
“I know I have no right to ask you for anything.”
“Correct.”
“But Victor has your father.”
I turned back slowly.
“What?”
Ryan’s eyes filled with urgency.
“The man you found upstairs wasn’t taken by Victor.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Thomas staged it.”
My blood ran cold.
“Why?”
“To make Victor believe he didn’t know where the ledger was.”
“Where is my father now?”
Ryan swallowed.
“He went to trade himself for Ethan.”
“Ethan is safe.”
“I know.”
“Then why would he—”
Ryan interrupted.
“Because Victor doesn’t know that.”
I stared at him.
May you like
Ryan’s voice became urgent.
“Sarah, your father is walking into a trap.”
