Chapter 11: The Enemy We Never Saw Coming
Nick read the message three times.
Each time, his face became colder.
I knew something was wrong before he even spoke.
“What is it?””
He turned the phone toward me.
I read the message.
My hands immediately went cold.
*Stop searching for the truth, or your wife will suffer the same fate as your father.*
Lily looked over my shoulder.
“They know.””
Rebecca frowned.
“They?””
Nick looked at her.
“Who else knew about the investigation?””
Nobody answered.
Then everyone looked at Martha.
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
Nick’s voice was calm.
“That was my first thought too.””
Martha looked hurt.
“You think I sent that?””
“I don’t know what to think anymore.””
The words clearly hurt her.
But nobody trusted her.
Not after today.
The bank security team helped us leave through a private exit.
The world outside felt completely different.
Hours earlier, I had been a bride.
Now I was a target.
On the drive back to the estate, nobody spoke.
Nick kept checking the mirrors.
“You’re scared,” I said.
He looked at me.
“Yes.””
I expected him to deny it.
He didn’t.
“I spent my whole life believing my family was complicated.””
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“I didn’t realize it was dangerous.””
I reached for his hand.
“You didn’t know.””
“But I should have.””
“Nick.””
He looked at me.
“I watched my mother hurt you.””
His voice broke.
“I stood there.””
I remembered that moment.
The scissors.
The silence.
The humiliation.
I didn’t want to pretend it didn’t hurt.
“It did hurt.””
He nodded.
“I know.””
“But you came back.””
His eyes met mine.
“Because I finally understood.””
“Understood what?””
“That I was so afraid of losing my mother’s approval that I almost lost the person who actually loved me.””
I looked away.
Because part of me wanted to forgive him.
And part of me was still bleeding.
When we arrived at the estate, something felt wrong.
The front door was open.
Nick immediately stopped.
“Stay behind me.””
We entered slowly.
The wedding decorations were still everywhere.
But something had changed.
The room had been searched.
Chairs overturned.
Papers scattered.
The wedding cake destroyed.
Someone had been looking for something.
Rebecca walked in behind us.
“They came here.””
Lily picked up a torn envelope from the floor.
“This was from the safety deposit box.””
Nick took it.
“It was inside my father’s documents.””
I looked around.
“What were they looking for?””
Nobody answered.
Then I saw it.
A small piece of paper near the fireplace.
I picked it up.
It was a note.
Only three words.
*Ask your mother.*
I looked at Martha.
But she wasn’t there.
Nick’s face changed.
“Where is she?””
Everyone looked around.
She had disappeared.
The woman who had spent the entire day being exposed was suddenly gone.
Rebecca checked her phone.
“No.””
“What?””
“She left a message.””
Nick took the phone.
The message was from Martha.
*I’m sorry. You’re going to learn the truth, but not from them.*
Nick’s jaw tightened.
“What does that mean?””
Then another message arrived.
A location.
And one final sentence.
*Come alone if you want to know who killed your father.*
I grabbed Nick’s arm.
“You’re not going alone.””
He looked at me.
“Emily—”
“No.””
My voice surprised even me.
“I spent years letting people decide what I deserved.””
I looked at the destroyed wedding hall.
“I’m done.””
Lily stepped forward.
“She’s trying to separate you.””
Rebecca nodded.
“She knows exactly what she’s doing.””
Nick looked at all of us.
Then at the location.
Finally, he said:
“We go together.””
But when we arrived at the abandoned building listed in the message…
Martha was not waiting for us.
Someone else was.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
Nick stopped.
Because he recognized him.
“Impossible.””
The man smiled.
“I know you thought I was dead.””
My heart froze.
Because Nick whispered the name.
“David.””
Rebecca covered her mouth.
“No…”
Nick stared at the man.
“My father’s business partner.””
May you like
The man smiled.
“And the person your father trusted most.””
