THE NIGHT BEFORE MY WEDDING, MY STEPMOTHER AND STEPSISTER DESTROYED MY DRESS—BUT THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT MY MOTHER HAD LEFT INSIDE HER SEALED RED WEDDING BOX

"Because if you discover why Daniel disappeared, you'll understand that Elijah was never supposed to marry you.""

William Carter's voice echoed through the telephone.

I gripped the receiver.

"Why?""

There was a long silence.

Then he answered.

"Because your mother made a promise she had no right to make.""

"What promise?""

"Amara, listen carefully. Leave that building. Don't touch anything else. I'll explain everything when you arrive at the church.""

I looked at Margaret.

She was shaking her head.

"No," I said.

"You don't get to tell me what to do anymore.""

William sighed.

"You have no idea what you're involving yourself in.""

"Then explain it.""

"Your mother stole something from me twelve years ago.""

I glanced at the wooden case.

"What did she steal?""

"The original Carter family trust agreement.""

Margaret stepped closer.

"That's a lie.""

William's voice sharpened.

"Who is that?""

"Someone who knows what you did," Margaret replied.

I heard a sharp breath from the other end.

"Margaret Lewis?""

She took the receiver from my hand.

"Hello, William. It's been a long time.""

"Stay out of this.""

"I tried. I really did. But your daughter is standing in the same room where her mother begged me to protect her.""

William went quiet.

Then he said something that made Margaret's face change.

"Daniel isn't dead.""

The words landed like a physical blow.

I snatched the receiver.

"What did you say?""

William continued.

"Your father is alive, Amara. And if you want to see him again, you'll come to the church.""

The call ended.

I stood motionless.

My father was alive.

For twelve years, I had imagined a thousand possible explanations for his disappearance.

I had pictured him sick, injured, trapped somewhere, perhaps even dead.

But never had I imagined that he might still be alive.

Margaret gently touched my shoulder.

"Your mother suspected he was alive.""

"Why didn't she tell me?""

"Because she received threats. She believed telling you would put you in danger.""

I looked at the documents.

"Who is William Carter really?""

Margaret pulled out a chair.

"Before your mother married Daniel, she worked as a financial administrator for the Carter family. She discovered that William had been transferring money from a family trust into private accounts.""

"Why?""

"Because the trust belonged to several people, including children who had been left without parents. William wanted complete control over it.""

I picked up the agreement bearing William's signature.

"And Vanessa?""

Margaret hesitated.

"Vanessa was William's assistant.""

I felt sick.

"She married my father after my mother died.""

"Yes.""

"Was that a coincidence?""

Margaret looked directly at me.

"No.""

She opened another folder.

Inside was a photograph of Vanessa standing outside a courthouse with William.

The date was barely six months before she married Daniel.

"Your stepmother helped William locate your father after he disappeared," Margaret explained.

"She knew where Daniel was hiding. But she never told anyone.""

I stared at her.

"Then why did she marry him?""

"To get access to the documents he had hidden.""

My hands curled into fists.

Everything suddenly made sense.

Vanessa's control over the house.

Her obsession with my mother's belongings.

Her reaction to the red box.

She hadn't destroyed my dress because she hated it.

She had destroyed it because she recognized something.

"What's inside the envelope?"" I asked.

Margaret looked at the sealed letter.

"Your mother instructed me not to open it. She wanted you to read it yourself.""

I tore the envelope carefully.

Inside was a handwritten letter and a small folded piece of paper.

The letter began:

My dearest Amara,

If you have found this room, then I was right to worry that the people who hurt Daniel would eventually come looking for you.

I swallowed.

There is something I never wanted you to discover this way. William Carter is your biological father. Daniel knew the truth before you were born. He also knew that William intended to use you as a way to secure control over the Carter family trust.

My eyes filled.

Daniel chose to raise you because he loved me. He never once treated you as anything less than his own daughter.

I pressed the letter against my chest.

But there is another truth. William's son Elijah was never supposed to be the heir to the family fortune. His birth records were altered after the death of his first wife. The original documents are inside the red box.

I stopped reading.

Elijah's birth records?

I looked at Margaret.

"Why would my mother have those?""

"Because she helped Daniel uncover the original records.""

I returned to the letter.

If you are marrying Elijah, then I fear William has already started another plan. Do not trust a marriage agreement, a family promise, or anyone who tells you that love requires silence.

The final line was written in larger letters.

Find Daniel. He knows who Elijah really is.

I lowered the paper.

My mind was racing.

Then Margaret opened the folded document I had nearly overlooked.

It was a photocopy of an old birth certificate.

The father's name was William Carter.

But the child's name was not Elijah.

It was another name.

*Ethan Carter.*

I stared at it.

"Who is Ethan?""