Chapter 6: The Brother Who Stole Five Years
For a moment, I couldn’t understand the sentence.
Not because the words were complicated.
Because they were impossible.
“He knew?””
My voice barely existed.
Julian stood near the doorway, his coat still in his hand.
“Yes.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“No, Julian. That doesn’t make sense.””
“I know.””
“How could he know?””
Julian looked away.
“He had access to everything.””
The room felt colder.
The person who had stolen five years from us wasn’t a stranger.
It wasn’t some unknown enemy.
It was someone who had sat at our dinner table.
Someone who had smiled at our wedding.
Someone who had watched Julian build a life with me.
And someone who knew three children existed while their own father had no idea.
“When?”” I asked.
Julian looked at me.
“What?””
“When did he know?””
His jaw tightened.
“The night you left.””
My stomach dropped.
The night I packed my bags.
The night I walked away from everything.
“The night you accused me?””
Julian nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
That night became clearer.
The way Marcus had called Julian repeatedly.
The way Julian ignored every call because he was too angry.
The way Marcus had suddenly shown up at the office the next morning, saying he was there to “help.””
I had forgotten that.
Because my entire world had collapsed.
But Marcus had been there.
Watching.
Waiting.
“Why?””
Julian didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know.
Or maybe because the answer was worse.
We drove to the storage facility together.
Neither of us spoke.
The city lights passed outside the window, but I barely saw them.
My mind was trapped five years ago.
Every memory I had buried was coming back.
Marcus at our wedding.
Marcus congratulating me after my first major research breakthrough.
Marcus telling me I was the reason Julian’s company would change the world.
Had any of it been real?
Or had he always been pretending?
When we arrived, the police were already there.
Clara stood beside the entrance.
She looked relieved when she saw us.
“You came.””
Julian nodded.
“What happened?””
“The lock was forced.””
“Anything else?””
Clara looked toward the unit.
“The person who broke in knew exactly what they were looking for.””
I felt a chill.
“How do you know?””
She held up a small evidence bag.
Inside was a broken piece of wood.
“The door was damaged, but almost nothing inside was disturbed.””
Julian frowned.
“So they weren’t stealing.””
“No.””
Clara looked at him.
“They were searching.””
The storage unit smelled like dust and old memories.
Boxes lined the walls.
Documents.
Photographs.
Things we had forgotten existed.
I stood near the entrance.
I hadn’t been here in five years.
This place held pieces of a life I thought was gone.
Julian walked slowly inside.
He touched an old cardboard box.
“What is this?””
I looked.
“My research notes.””
He stared at me.
“You kept them?””
“Of course.””
He looked down.
“I thought you left everything.””
“I left you.””
The words were quiet.
But they landed.
Julian swallowed.
“I deserved that.””
I didn’t respond.
Because maybe he did.
But that didn’t mean hearing him admit it felt good.
Clara moved toward a shelf.
“I found the letter here.””
She pointed.
“There was a hidden compartment behind this panel.””
Julian looked surprised.
“Hidden?””
“Yes.””
She removed a small wooden piece from the shelf.
Behind it was an empty space.
I stared.
“What was inside?””
Clara looked at Julian.
“The letter.””
“And now?””
“Police have it.””
Julian ran a hand through his hair.
“Why would Marcus hide it?””
I looked around.
“Because he didn’t want you to find it.””
The answer was obvious.
But the reason wasn’t.
Julian’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
“Speak.””
A pause.
Then:
“Are you sure?””
Another pause.
His face became hard.
“Don’t let him leave.””
He ended the call.
“What happened?””
He looked at me.
“It was Marcus.””
My heartbeat increased.
“Where?””
“He’s at my company headquarters.””
Clara immediately stood.
“That’s impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because he resigned yesterday.””
Julian froze.
“He resigned?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Hours after I contacted him about the document investigation.””
The pieces connected.
Marcus wasn’t waiting.
He was running.
Julian insisted I stay home.
I refused.
“You’re not going alone.””
His eyebrows lifted.
“Evelyn.””
“No.””
The firmness surprised him.
“I spent five years without answers.””
I stepped closer.
“I’m not waiting in the dark anymore.””
For a moment, he simply looked at me.
Then he nodded.
“Okay.””
One word.
No argument.
No control.
Just agreement.
And somehow, that was more shocking than anything.
At Vance Energy headquarters, the building was almost empty.
The company had become a symbol of success.
Glass walls.
Modern design.
Thousands of employees.
A monument to Julian’s ambition.
I remembered when it was just a tiny office with broken chairs and coffee stains on the floor.
Back then, Marcus was the person who believed in us.
Or at least I thought he was.
The security guard led us upstairs.
“He’s in the conference room.””
Julian walked faster.
I followed.
When the doors opened, Marcus was standing by the window.
Older.
But still recognizable.
He turned.
And smiled.
Not surprised.
Not afraid.
Just amused.
“Evelyn.””
The way he said my name made my skin crawl.
Julian stepped forward.
“Why?””
Marcus looked at him.
“Hello to you too.””
“Why did you do it?””
Marcus sighed.
“You always were dramatic.””
My hands curled into fists.
“You ruined our marriage.””
Marcus looked at me.
“No.””
His eyes moved to Julian.
“Your brother did that himself.””
Julian’s face hardened.
“You knew about the babies.””
Silence.
A very small silence.
But enough.
Because Marcus didn’t deny it.
I felt the air leave my lungs.
“You knew.””
Marcus looked at Julian.
“Yes.””
Julian stepped back.
“How long?””
“Since before the divorce.””
“Why?””
Marcus laughed softly.
“Because you were about to destroy everything.””
“Everything?””
“My company.””
Julian stared.
“Our company.””
Marcus’s expression changed.
“No.””
The word was cold.
“This was never ours.””
I saw something break in Julian’s face.
Marcus continued.
“You were always the face. The genius. The founder.””
He walked closer.
“But do you know what investors cared about?””
Nobody spoke.
“They cared about Evelyn.””
I froze.
Marcus looked at me.
“They knew the truth.””
“What truth?””
“That you were the reason Julian’s ideas worked.””
Julian’s expression changed.
“Stop.””
“No.””
Marcus shook his head.
“For years, you let everyone believe you built this alone.””
“That’s not true.””
“Isn’t it?””
Marcus smiled.
“When the investors started asking why Evelyn wasn’t listed as a co-founder, you panicked.””
I looked at Julian.
“Did you?””
Julian immediately shook his head.
“No.””
But Marcus continued.
“You were going to give her credit.””
The room went quiet.
I looked at Julian.
He didn’t deny it.
Because it was true.
“I was going to fix it,” Julian said.
Marcus laughed.
“Too late.””
He pointed at me.
“She was the one person who could expose everything.””
My heart raced.
“So you made Julian think I betrayed him.””
Marcus shrugged.
“It was easy.””
Julian moved forward.
“Easy?””
Marcus looked at him.
“You already wanted to believe it.””
The sentence hit harder than anything else.
Because there was truth inside the cruelty.
Julian had chosen suspicion.
Marcus had simply used it.
“You sent those messages,” I said.
Marcus smiled.
“I didn’t have to.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What?””
“I didn’t send anything.””
He leaned against the table.
“I just made sure Julian saw what he wanted to see.””
Julian looked confused.
“What does that mean?””
Marcus reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small device.
A phone.
An old phone.
“I had access to your account.””
Julian went still.
“My account?””
“Yes.””
Marcus smiled.
“The night Evelyn received the doctor’s message, I forwarded the notification to your phone.””
My blood turned cold.
“You made it look like another man.””
Marcus didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Julian stared at him.
“You destroyed my family.””
Marcus looked at him.
“No.””
He smiled.
“You did.””
The words hung there.
Then Marcus placed the phone on the table.
“There’s something else you should know.””
Julian’s eyes narrowed.
“What?””
Marcus looked at me.
Then at him.
“The pregnancy wasn’t the only thing I hid.””
My heart stopped.
“What else?””
Marcus smiled.
“Your father’s will.””
Julian froze.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
The room went silent.
Marcus picked up his coat.
“Because if you had known what your father left Evelyn…”
He paused.
“You never would have divorced her.””
And then he walked toward the door.
Julian didn’t move.
Because for the first time in five years…
He realized our divorce wasn’t just about jealousy.
It was about something much bigger.
Something someone had been willing to destroy a family to protect.
May you like
And somewhere inside that company…
Was a secret worth billions.
