Chapter 8: The Truth Behind The Wedding
I spent the night at Daniel's guest apartment.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I needed space.
I needed one place where Jake's voice wasn't around me.
One place where I could think.
The next morning, Daniel arrived with a folder.
He looked exhausted.
"Did you sleep?""
I shook my head.
"Not really.""
He placed the folder on the table.
"There's more.""
I almost laughed.
"Of course there is.""
Daniel sat down.
"Emma, I need you to prepare yourself.""
I opened the folder.
Inside were copies of emails.
Hundreds of them.
My eyes moved across the names.
Jake.
Melissa.
And someone else.
Rachel.
The woman from the photograph.
I looked at Daniel.
"She was involved?""
"Yes.""
My heart sank.
"What was the plan?""
Daniel took a breath.
"Jake intended to divorce you after transferring control of the company.""
I stared at the emails.
The words were right there.
Cold.
Simple.
A plan.
Not an accident.
Not a mistake.
A plan.
I found one message.
From Melissa to Jake.
"She trusts you completely. She will sign anything you put in front of her.""
I stopped reading.
My hands shook.
Because that sentence hurt more than the money.
She knew.
They all knew.
They knew I loved him.
They knew I trusted him.
And they used that.
Daniel watched me.
"Emma.""
I closed the folder.
"I want to see him.""
"You don't have to.""
"I do.""
An hour later, Jake came to Daniel's office.
He looked different.
No confidence.
No arrogance.
Just exhaustion.
He stood across from me.
"Emma.""
I didn't respond.
He looked at the folder.
"You found everything.""
I stared.
"You planned to leave me.""
Jake swallowed.
"I was going to fix it first.""
"Answer the question.""
Silence.
Then:
"Yes.""
That single word hurt.
I looked away.
"How long?""
"Almost two years.""
Two years.
I felt like the air disappeared.
"You spent two years pretending?""
Jake sat down.
"I didn't know how to tell you.""
"You didn't want to tell me.""
He looked at me.
"I was ashamed.""
I laughed.
"Shame would have been telling me the truth.""
I stood.
"You didn't love me enough to trust me.""
Jake's eyes filled.
"I did love you.""
"No.""
My voice was quiet.
"You loved having someone who believed you.""
He looked down.
That hit him.
Good.
Because I had spent years being hurt silently.
Now he could finally feel something.
Jake reached into his pocket.
He placed a small box on the table.
I recognized it.
My grandmother's jewelry box.
"What is this?""
"Your grandmother's necklace.""
I frowned.
"Why do you have it?""
Jake looked away.
"Melissa borrowed it.""
My heart stopped.
"Borrowed?""
Daniel immediately opened the box.
The necklace wasn't inside.
Instead, there was a folded paper.
Daniel unfolded it.
His expression changed.
"What?""
He handed it to me.
It wasn't a note.
It was a bank receipt.
A transfer.
The amount made me freeze.
Five hundred thousand dollars.
From my private account.
My voice shook.
"Jake.""
He looked confused.
"I didn't take that.""
I looked at him.
For the first time, he looked genuinely surprised.
Daniel examined the document.
"This wasn't Jake.""
I stared.
"Then who?""
Nobody spoke.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
"Stop looking for answers, Emma.""
A second message followed.
"You don't know who you're fighting.""
I looked at Jake.
Then Daniel.
Because suddenly, the truth became clear.
Jake wasn't the only person hiding things.
May you like
Someone else had been controlling the game from the shadows.
And they were watching me.
