Chapter 8: The Person Who Betrayed Me First
The room went silent.
Someone inside my family.
Those words echoed louder than anything else.
I looked at everyone.
My father.
Diane.
Ethan.
Rebecca.
“Who?”” I asked.
Rebecca didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me.
“Rebecca.””
She placed the document on the table.
“The information came from someone who knew details about your grandmother’s trust.””
“That doesn’t answer my question.””
She took a breath.
“Your mother.””
The world stopped.
“No.””
The word left my mouth instantly.
Not because I knew it wasn’t true.
Because I couldn’t accept it.
“My mother?””
Rebecca nodded.
“Claire, before you assume the worst, you need to hear the entire situation.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
I looked at my father.
“Is that true?””
His face broke.
And that hurt more than any answer.
Because he didn’t deny it.
“She didn’t betray you.””
I laughed softly.
“She gave my husband information about my family.””
“She was trying to protect you.””
“By helping him?””
My father stepped closer.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
I looked at him.
“I really don’t.””
The anger that I had held inside for years finally came out.
“Everyone keeps saying they protected me.””
I pointed around the room.
“My grandmother protected me.””
“My father disappeared to protect me.””
“My mother lied to protect me.””
I looked at Ethan.
“And my husband controlled me to protect me?””
Nobody spoke.
Because they knew.
Every person in that room had used the same excuse.
Protection.
But I had been the one left in the dark.
Rebecca gently said,
“Your mother was contacted by Ethan months ago.””
I looked at Ethan.
His face changed.
“You contacted my mother?””
He looked away.
That was enough.
“When?””
He didn’t answer.
“When?””
“Before the wedding anniversary.””
My stomach dropped.
Months.
He had been planning this for months.
“What did you ask her?””
Ethan finally looked at me.
“I asked questions.””
“About what?””
He sighed.
“About your family.””
“Why?””
He didn’t answer.
My father did.
“Because he knew the trust would eventually become his problem.””
Ethan’s expression hardened.
“I loved Claire.””
I looked at him.
“Then why were you investigating me?””
Silence.
That was the answer.
Diane suddenly spoke.
“Ethan, tell her the truth.””
Everyone looked at her.
For the first time, Diane wasn’t defending him.
She was afraid of him.
“What truth?”” Ethan asked.
Her voice shook.
“You didn’t marry Claire because of the trust, did you?””
The room froze.
I felt something inside me break.
Ethan stared at his mother.
“Don’t.””
But Diane continued.
“You knew who she was before the wedding.””
I couldn’t breathe.
“What?””
I looked at Ethan.
“What did she mean?””
Ethan’s face changed.
The confident husband.
The angry man.
The person who believed he controlled everything.
Gone.
For the first time, he looked exposed.
“I can explain.””
I stepped back.
“No.””
My voice was quiet.
“No more explanations.””
I looked at him.
“I want the truth.””
He rubbed his face.
“I found out about your family after we met.””
“That’s not what your mother said.””
He stayed silent.
My father’s expression became furious.
“You knew from the beginning.””
Ethan looked at him.
“I didn’t know everything.””
“But you knew enough.””
Ethan didn’t deny it.
My hands became cold.
All those memories.
Our first date.
The way he seemed interested in my childhood.
The questions about my grandmother.
The way he pushed me to combine finances quickly.
They weren’t random.
They were steps.
I whispered,
“You chose me.””
Ethan looked at me.
“Yes.””
I nodded slowly.
“But not because you loved me.””
His silence was devastating.
Then Rebecca’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her expression changed.
“Excuse me.””
She answered.
“Hello?””
Everyone watched her.
A few seconds passed.
Then her face went pale.
“Are you sure?””
She listened.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
“What happened?”” I asked.
Rebecca looked at me.
“The trust report was incomplete.””
“What do you mean?””
“There’s another person involved.””
My father frowned.
“Who?””
Rebecca looked toward Ethan.
“The person who helped him access the information wasn’t your mother.””
My heart stopped.
“Then who?””
Rebecca opened the message she had received.
And read the name aloud.
A name I recognized immediately.
A name that made Ethan look terrified.
“Claire’s uncle.””
May you like
I froze.
Because my uncle had been dead for ten years.
