Chapter 11: The Truth Ethan Never Wanted to Tell
The room went silent.
I could hear the clock ticking on the wall.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
“Your mother’s death?””
Ethan nodded slowly.
“My father told me it was an accident.””
I sat down.
“Wasn’t it?””
He looked away.
“I don’t know anymore.””
I watched him carefully.
This wasn’t the same fear I saw when he talked about his father’s debt.
This was something deeper.
Something he had buried.
“What happened?””
Ethan sat across from me.
“When I was sixteen, my mother died in a car accident.””
I reached for his hand.
He held it tightly.
“My father was driving.””
My breath caught.
“And you thought…”
“I thought he made a mistake.””
He swallowed.
“I never questioned it because I couldn’t handle the alternative.””
The room felt heavier.
“Why would Rebecca know?””
“That’s what I’m trying to understand.””
He showed me another file.
It was from the investigator.
A copy of an old report.
“The original police report said my father’s car was damaged before the crash.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“The brakes.””
My eyes widened.
“The brakes failed.””
Ethan nodded.
“But there was never enough evidence to prove why.””
I looked at him.
“And now?””
“Now we found out someone paid to access the old records.””
“Who?””
He looked at me.
“Rebecca.””
I covered my mouth.
Everything connected.
The wedding dress.
The emails.
The lies.
The secret meetings.
But something still didn’t make sense.
“Why would your father want this hidden?””
“Because if the brakes were damaged intentionally…”
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t need to.
I understood.
“He could be responsible.””
Ethan nodded.
My heart hurt for him.
For years, he had carried the possibility that his father wasn’t just careless.
That he might have lost his mother because of something much darker.
Then my phone rang.
Detective Harris.
I answered.
“Hello?””
“Miss, I need to ask you something.””
His voice was serious.
“Okay.””
“Did your aunt Rebecca ever have access to your wedding planning information?””
I looked at Ethan.
“Yes.””
“Did she know where the bridal suite was?””
“Yes.””
A pause.
“Did she know about the gown?””
“Yes.””
“Then we need you to come in.””
“Why?””
“We found something.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“We recovered deleted messages from the boutique inquiry.””
My grip tightened on the phone.
“Deleted messages?””
“Yes.””
“From who?””
The detective paused.
“Your sister’s account wasn’t the only one.””
After I hung up, I looked at Ethan.
“I need to go.””
“I’m coming with you.””
At the station, Detective Harris placed two phones on the table.
One belonged to Chloe.
The other belonged to Rebecca.
“We recovered these messages through a court order.””
I looked at Chloe’s phone first.
The messages were the ones I had already seen.
Anger.
Jealousy.
Plans.
Then he opened Rebecca’s.
My stomach turned.
The messages weren’t about the dress.
Not really.
They were about control.
*Rebecca: Make sure she doubts Ethan.*
*Chloe: What if she doesn’t believe me?*
*Rebecca: She trusts family more than anyone. Use that.*
I closed my eyes.
My own family.
My own blood.
Using my trust as a weapon.
Detective Harris continued.
“There’s more.””
He opened another message.
This one was between Rebecca and Ethan’s father.
*Rebecca: I can delay the wedding.*
*Ethan’s father: I need more time.*
*Rebecca: She cannot marry him before she knows.*
I looked up.
“Before she knows what?””
Detective Harris didn’t answer.
Instead, he opened the final message.
Sent the morning of my wedding.
From Ethan’s father.
To Rebecca.
*If she marries him today, everything I did will come out.*
I stared.
Everything went quiet.
“What did he do?””
Nobody answered.
Then Ethan’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“It’s my father.””
The room froze.
Ethan answered.
At first, he said nothing.
Then his expression hardened.
“What did you say?””
A pause.
Then:
“No.””
His voice broke.
“No, you don’t get to do that.””
He stood.
“Where are you?””
Another pause.
Then Ethan looked at me.
“He wants to meet.””
I swallowed.
“Why?””
Ethan lowered the phone.
“He says he has proof Rebecca was never trying to protect me.””
May you like
He looked terrified.
“She was trying to protect herself.””
