Chapter 5: The Truth Hidden Beneath the Floor
I didn’t move.
The phone remained pressed against my ear.
The entire room watched me.
Emily.
Ryan.
Two people who had entered my home with secrets.
Two people who had been searching for something my father wanted hidden.
“What evidence?”” I asked.
The man on the phone exhaled.
“Not over the phone.””
“Then tell me who you are.””
“My name is Thomas Reed.””
The name sounded familiar.
I searched my memory.
Then I remembered.
My father’s business partner.
The man who disappeared from my father’s company ten years earlier.
Everyone said they had a disagreement.
My father never talked about him again.
“Thomas Reed?””
Emily suddenly stepped forward.
“Daniel, don’t listen to him.””
I looked at her.
That reaction told me everything.
“You know him.””
She went silent.
The man on the phone heard her.
“She’s there, isn’t she?””
I didn’t answer.
“You need to understand something,” Thomas said.
“Your father didn’t hide those documents because of money.””
“Then why?””
A long pause.
“Because he discovered someone close to him was stealing from the company.””
My eyes moved toward Emily.
“No.””
Thomas continued.
“He spent years collecting proof.””
My heart pounded.
“Proof of what?””
“Fraud. Forged signatures. Illegal transfers.””
I looked at the open document box.
The missing papers.
The trust.
Everything suddenly felt connected.
“Who was he investigating?””
Thomas didn’t answer.
And that silence scared me more than the truth.
“Thomas.””
Finally, he spoke.
“Your wife.””
The word hit harder than I expected.
I ended the call.
Not because I believed everything.
Because I needed to think.
Emily looked at me.
“Daniel, he’s lying.””
“Is he?””
“Yes.””
“Then explain the messages.””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Ryan looked at her.
“You never told me this.””
She glared at him.
“Because you didn’t need to know.””
That was the moment I understood.
They weren’t partners.
They were both being used.
I walked outside.
I needed air.
The morning sun was still shining.
Cars still passed on the street.
Neighbors walked their dogs.
The world looked exactly the same.
But my life had changed in less than an hour.
Ryan followed me.
“Daniel.””
I didn’t turn around.
“What?””
“I know how this looks.””
“You think?””
He stopped.
“I didn’t know about the fraud.””
I finally looked at him.
“Why should I believe you?””
“Because I hate your father for what he did to my mother.””
That surprised me.
“What?””
Ryan looked away.
“My whole life, I thought he abandoned us.””
His voice became quieter.
“Then I found out he had been sending money every month. He was trying to help us without destroying your family.””
I stared at him.
“You’re saying he cared?””
Ryan swallowed.
“I’m saying he wasn’t the man everyone thought he was.””
Before I could respond, Emily came outside.
She looked exhausted.
“Daniel, please.””
I turned toward her.
“I want the truth.””
She closed her eyes.
Then she said something I never expected.
“I didn’t start this.””
“What does that mean?””
She looked at the house.
“When I met your father, he already knew who I was.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“What?””
“He knew my family.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“My family?””
She nodded.
“My father worked for your father.””
“And?””
Her voice dropped.
“He was the person blamed for the money that disappeared from the company.””
I stared at her.
“Your father was accused of stealing?””
“Yes.””
The pieces shifted.
Emily wasn’t just after my inheritance.
There was history.
Pain.
A reason.
But reasons didn’t erase what she had done.
“You married me because of him.””
She didn’t answer.
Which meant yes.
I stepped back.
“Get out.””
Her face fell.
“Daniel—”
“Get out of my house.””
Ryan looked uncomfortable.
Emily stared at me.
Then something changed.
The sadness disappeared.
Her expression became calm.
Almost too calm.
“You really should ask yourself why your father left you that letter.””
I frowned.
“What?””
She smiled slightly.
“Because he knew you would never believe the truth unless you saw it yourself.””
She walked back inside.
A few seconds later, she returned holding something.
The wooden box.
My father’s pocket watch box.
My blood ran cold.
“You were looking for this?””
I stepped forward.
Emily held it tightly.
“This is why your father was afraid.””
She opened the lid.
Inside was not a pocket watch.
It was a flash drive.
And attached to it was a note.
My father’s handwriting.
May you like
The note had only one sentence:
“Daniel, if you found this, it means Emily already knows.””
