Chapter 6: The Woman With Two Faces
Nobody moved.
The silence was unbearable.
Amelia stared at the lawyer’s phone.
“That’s impossible.””
The lawyer looked confused.
“The message came from your encrypted account.””
“No.””
Her voice became sharper.
“I don’t have access to that account anymore.””
Nathan watched her carefully.
And then he smiled.
A small smile.
A dangerous one.
“I knew there was something wrong.””
Amelia turned toward him.
“What?””
Nathan stepped forward.
“You disappeared.””
His eyes narrowed.
“But you never escaped.””
My skin crawled.
My father immediately moved between them.
“Stay away from her.””
Nathan laughed.
“Still protecting everyone, Richard?””
My father’s jaw tightened.
“I know what you are.””
Nathan looked at me.
“No.””
He pointed toward Amelia.
“You don’t.””
Everyone looked at her.
And for the first time, Amelia seemed uncertain.
That scared me.
Because I had spent the last hour believing she was the one person who understood exactly what Nathan was.
“What aren’t you telling us?”” I asked.
Amelia looked at me.
Her eyes softened.
“I wanted to tell you.””
“When?””
She swallowed.
“I wasn’t sure.””
I shook my head.
“Everyone keeps saying they were protecting me.””
My voice cracked.
“But everyone keeps lying.””
My father looked hurt.
Amelia looked ashamed.
Nathan looked satisfied.
Because he loved watching people break apart.
He always had.
Amelia took a slow breath.
“My disappearance was real.””
I waited.
“But not everything after was what you think.””
Nathan smiled.
“Tell her.””
Amelia looked at him.
“Seven years ago, when I found Nathan’s accounts, I didn’t just collect evidence.””
The room became quiet.
“I took something.””
My father frowned.
“What?””
Amelia looked at me.
“Information.””
My stomach tightened.
“What information?””
She hesitated.
Then Nathan answered.
“The truth about your father.””
My father’s face changed.
“Enough.””
“No.””
Nathan stepped closer.
“You don’t get to control the story anymore.””
Amelia looked down.
And that was the moment I knew.
Whatever came next would hurt.
Because Amelia was not completely innocent.
“What did you find?”” I asked.
She whispered:
“Your father was investigating Nathan because of what happened to your mother.””
My breath stopped.
My mother.
A subject nobody ever discussed.
My mother had died when I was young.
An accident.
That was all I had ever been told.
I looked at my father.
“Dad?””
He looked away.
Again.
“No.””
I shook my head.
“No more.””
My voice became stronger.
“Tell me.””
My father closed his eyes.
Then he said the words that changed everything.
“Your mother’s death was not an accident.””
The room disappeared.
I heard nothing.
No lawyers.
No security.
No Nathan.
Only those words.
Not an accident.
I looked at my father.
“What?””
He stepped closer.
“I was trying to find out who was responsible.””
“And you never told me?””
“You were a child.””
“I’m not a child now.””
My voice broke.
“Why did everyone decide I could handle being tortured by Nathan, but not the truth?””
Nobody answered.
Because nobody had a good answer.
Nathan looked almost amused.
“Now you understand.””
I turned toward him.
“You knew?””
He nodded slowly.
“I knew your father was hiding something.””
My hands trembled.
“And you married me because of it.””
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt more than another lie.
“But I didn’t know everything.””
He looked toward Amelia.
“She did.””
Amelia’s face went pale.
Nathan continued.
“She knew who was behind your mother’s death.””
My heart stopped.
I looked at Amelia.
“Is that true?””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Then my phone vibrated.
A new message.
This time from an unknown number.
I looked down.
Only one sentence appeared.
*ASK AMELIA WHY SHE WAS AT YOUR MOTHER’S HOUSE THE NIGHT SHE DIED.*
I felt the blood leave my face.
Slowly, I raised my eyes.
Everyone noticed my expression.
My father whispered:
“What happened?””
I looked at Amelia.
The woman who had come back from the dead.
The woman who claimed she was my ally.
And I asked the only question that mattered.
“Why were you there the night my mother died?””
Amelia’s face collapsed.
May you like
And Nathan smiled.
Because the truth he had buried was finally beginning to surface. :::
