Chapter 6: The Letter Mom Never Wanted Him to Read
I read the instruction again.
Do not give it to Alexander Whitmore.
My mother had trusted me enough to leave me four million dollars, but apparently she hadn't trusted my husband enough to let him see the complete truth.
I couldn't decide which possibility frightened me more.
“Why would Mom write that?”” I asked.
Alexander stood very still.
“I don't know.””
“Eleven months ago, she contacted you privately. You said she asked you to protect me.””
“She did.””
“Did she tell you about this file?””
“No.””
“Did she tell you why you were investigating Daniel?””
“Yes.””
I stared at him.
“Which is it, Alexander? Do you know nothing, or do you know enough to decide what I should be allowed to hear?””
He lowered his eyes.
“You deserve the truth. Even if I don't like what it says about me.””
It was the first answer he'd given me that didn't sound rehearsed.
I wanted to believe him.
But belief was no longer something I could offer without evidence.
Mr. Harrison carefully placed the phone on his desk.
“I can contact the records department and request the file immediately. However, because the request was submitted under Eleanor's name, they'll need confirmation of the executor's authority.””
“Do it,” I said.
Stephanie moved toward the door.
“I need to leave.””
“No,” I replied.
She froze.
I had spent six years allowing her to walk away whenever a conversation became uncomfortable. She would cry, accuse me of cruelty, or remind everyone that she was the younger sister.
Not today.
“You're going to stay until we know what happened.””
“You can't keep me here!””
“I'm not keeping you anywhere. The door is open. But if you leave, don't expect me to believe another word you say.””
For several seconds, she stared at me.
Then she sank into the chair beside Nathan.
He didn't touch her.
That small detail told me more about their marriage than either of them had admitted.
Mr. Harrison stepped into the adjoining office to make his call. Alexander remained by the window, watching the rain.
I approached him.
“Did you love me when we married?””
He turned immediately.
“Claire, what kind of question is that?””
“The kind I need answered.””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you keep this from me?””
“Because your mother was frightened. She believed the people connected to Daniel's business would use the information to hurt you. She wanted to settle the matter quietly.””
“And you decided the best way to honor her wishes was to keep secrets from me?””
“I made the wrong decision.””
His voice was low, without excuses.
“I thought I could remove the danger before it reached you. I didn't understand that the secrecy itself would become another kind of danger.””
I looked at the man I had chosen after six years of believing I would never trust another person with my heart.
Alexander had never mocked me. He had never compared me to Stephanie. He had never made me feel that love was a competition I needed to win.
But he had decided what I could handle without asking me.
That was a betrayal too, even if it had been born from love.
“I need time,” I told him.
He nodded.
“You can have as much as you need.””
“No more secret meetings. No more protecting me from information about my own life.””
“Agreed.””
“And if the recording proves you were involved in something you haven't told me about, I expect you to face it.””
He looked directly into my eyes.
“I will.””
Before I could respond, Mr. Harrison returned carrying a sealed envelope.
“The records department found something else.””
He placed it on the desk.
“This was delivered to the law office yesterday morning. Your mother left specific instructions that it should be opened only in the presence of her daughters.””
Stephanie stared at the envelope.
“Why didn't you mention this earlier?””
“Because I received it after Eleanor's death and had not yet reviewed the instructions.””
The attorney broke the seal.
Inside was a letter, a small flash drive, and a folded sheet of paper containing a list of names.
I recognized my mother's handwriting immediately.
Mr. Harrison began reading aloud.
My dear Claire and Stephanie,
If you are hearing this, then I have run out of time to make things right.
My throat tightened.
Claire, I owe you an apology. I allowed you to believe that Nathan left because he preferred your sister. The truth is more complicated, and I was afraid that telling you would destroy the life you were building.
Stephanie started crying again.
Mom's letter continued.
Stephanie, I also owe you an apology. I knew about your relationship with Nathan before Claire discovered it. I knew you were frightened of losing him, and I knew you had been told things about Daniel that you didn't fully understand.
Stephanie shook her head.
“No. She can't blame me for everything.””
I looked at her.
“She's not blaming you. She's talking to you.””
Mr. Harrison continued.
The night Daniel died, someone entered his room after Stephanie left. That person removed a document from his briefcase. The police never recovered it. I know who took it, but I cannot prove why.
My pulse quickened.
The document concerned a transfer of shares in Cole Holdings. If it became public, it would expose a financial arrangement that Daniel had spent years concealing.
Alexander moved closer to the desk.
“What financial arrangement?””
The attorney read the next line.
The document was signed by Daniel Cole, Nathan Cole, and a third person who had no legitimate claim to the company.
Nathan abruptly stood.
“That's enough.””
“No,” I said.
He looked at me desperately.
“Claire, please. You don't understand what that document could do.””
“Then explain it.””
“I can't.””
“Can't, or won't?””
He pressed his hands against his face.
Stephanie stared at him, her tears suddenly forgotten.
“You told me the shares were yours.””
Nathan lowered his hands.
“They were supposed to be.””
“Supposed to be?”” she repeated.
Alexander reached for the flash drive.
Mr. Harrison held up his hand.
“There's more.””
He unfolded the sheet of paper.
It contained three names.
Daniel Cole.
Nathan Cole.
And Alexander Whitmore.
My husband stared at the page.
“I never signed anything with Daniel.””
I looked at him.
“Then why is your name here?””
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned the paper over.
On the back was a date: six years earlier, the night Daniel died.
Beneath it, my mother had written one final sentence.
Claire, before you decide whom to trust, watch the recording of the man who entered Daniel's room.
Mr. Harrison inserted the flash drive into his laptop.
A grainy video appeared on the screen. The timestamp showed 11:47 p.m.
A man in a dark coat entered Daniel's hotel room.
He turned toward the camera for a fraction of a second.
I recognized his face.
So did Stephanie.
She grabbed Nathan's arm and screamed.
Because the man walking into Daniel Cole's room that night was not my husband.
May you like
It was Richard Wilson.
My father.
