Chapter 5: The Marriage That Was Planned
I couldn’t move.
The papers shook in my hand.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody answered.
I looked at Cole.
“Tell me he’s lying.””
Cole’s face was pale.
“Sarah…”
“Tell me.””
His silence was louder than any confession.
I stepped backward.
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“No, you don’t get to stand there and look sorry.””
Daniel watched him carefully.
“I spent two years trying to figure out the truth.””
Cole clenched his fists.
“You disappeared.””
My father looked at him.
“Because I needed time.””
“Time to ruin my life?””
“No.””
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“Time to survive what you did.””
I looked at my father.
“What happened?””
He took a deep breath.
“After I found out about them, I confronted Cole.””
Cole looked away.
“I told him he needed to end it.””
“And?””
“He refused.””
My stomach turned.
“You refused?””
Cole finally looked at me.
“I was confused.””
“Confused?””
I stared at him.
“You were sleeping with my mother.””
“I know.””
“And you were confused?””
He lowered his head.
“I made mistakes.””
I shook my head.
“No. You made choices.””
Daniel placed a hand on the table.
“After that conversation, I started looking into Cole’s past.””
Cole’s expression changed.
“Don’t.””
My father looked at him.
“Sarah deserves to know.””
The same words Darla had said earlier.
But this time, they felt different.
Because my father looked like someone who had carried the truth alone for years.
“What did you find?””
Daniel looked at the papers.
“Before Cole met you, he was struggling financially.””
I frowned.
“That’s not a secret.””
“No.””
Daniel nodded.
“But this is.””
He handed me another document.
I looked down.
It was a bank record.
Cole’s name was on it.
So was a large transfer.
The sender made my blood run cold.
Darla.
My mother.
I looked up slowly.
“You gave him money?””
Darla started crying.
“It wasn’t like that.””
“How was it then?””
She couldn’t answer.
Cole stepped in.
“Sarah, please.””
I turned toward him.
“Did you marry me because of my mother?””
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
But not quickly enough.
Daniel spoke.
“He knew your family had money.””
My heart dropped.
“What?””
Cole shook his head.
“That’s not why.””
“Then why?””
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I looked at him.
The man who had held me during nightmares.
The man who had painted our baby’s room.
The man I thought I knew.
“You never loved me.””
His eyes filled with tears.
“That’s not true.””
“Then tell me the truth.””
He looked down.
And that was when I knew.
There was something he still wasn’t saying.
My phone buzzed again.
I almost ignored it.
But after everything tonight, I couldn’t.
I looked at the screen.
Another unknown number.
Another message.
This time, only four words.
*Ask him about Hannah.*
My heart stopped.
I looked at Cole.
His face changed.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
“Who is Hannah?””
Nobody spoke.
My mother looked terrified.
My father closed his eyes.
And Cole whispered:
“Sarah…”
I stepped closer.
“Who is Hannah?””
He swallowed.
“She was someone I knew before you.””
“Someone you loved?””
“No.””
The answer came too fast.
Again.
I felt something cold move through me.
“Then why does everyone look scared?””
Cole didn’t answer.
Daniel did.
“Because Hannah is the reason I knew Cole was dangerous.””
The room went silent.
“What happened to her?””
My father looked at Cole.
Then back at me.
“She disappeared.””
I stared.
“Disappeared?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
Daniel’s expression darkened.
“Three months before Cole met you.””
The baby moved beneath my hand.
A reminder that I was not alone.
A reminder that I had to stay strong.
I looked at my husband.
The man who had become a stranger.
“Where is Hannah now?””
Cole’s eyes filled with fear.
And finally, he said the words that changed everything.
May you like
“I don’t know.””
But my father’s face told me he did.
