Chapter 8: The Marriage That Was Never Supposed to Happen
I had imagined meeting my mother thousands of times.
When I was a little girl, I used to wonder whether she had loved music, whether she had liked flowers, whether she had ever sung to me before I was old enough to remember.
As a teenager, I imagined she might have left because she was unhappy.
As an adult, I stopped asking questions.
I accepted that she was dead.
Now she was standing in front of me.
Alive.
And the first thing she had told me was that my marriage had never been supposed to happen.
"Don't come closer," I whispered.
Catherine stopped.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Eleanor, please.""
"You're my mother?""
"Yes.""
"Where have you been?""
She lowered her head.
"I was trying to protect you.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Everyone keeps saying that.""
Dominic stepped forward.
"Start explaining.""
Catherine looked at him.
For a moment, her expression changed.
She seemed to be looking at someone from another time.
"You look so much like your father.""
Dominic's face hardened.
"Which father?""
She swallowed.
"Your biological father.""
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Dominic glanced at the letter.
"You're saying my father was also Eleanor's father?""
Catherine nodded.
"Yes.""
I shook my head.
"No. My father is Richard Bennett.""
"Richard raised you," Catherine replied.
"He was your legal father, but he wasn't the man who fathered you.""
"Who was?""
She looked at Dominic.
"Arthur Hale.""
Dominic stepped backward.
Arthur Hale had died twelve years earlier.
He had been a powerful businessman, a respected philanthropist, and the founder of the company Dominic now controlled.
He had also been the man who welcomed me into his family.
He had attended our wedding.
He had given Dominic his blessing.
And apparently, he had been my biological father.
I pressed my hand against my mouth.
"That means...""
Catherine nodded.
"You're half-siblings.""
The words seemed to drain the air from the room.
Dominic looked at me.
I looked at him.
Our marriage.
Our son.
Our entire life.
For a moment, I thought I was going to faint.
"No," I whispered.
"No, that's not true.""
Catherine reached into her handbag.
She removed a small folder and placed it on the table.
"I brought proof.""
Dominic opened it.
Inside were genetic test results, hospital records, and an old letter signed by Arthur.
The first page confirmed Catherine's relationship to me.
The second confirmed Arthur Hale as my biological father.
The third contained a DNA comparison between Dominic and me.
The result showed a first-degree sibling relationship.
I couldn't breathe.
Dominic closed the folder.
"Why did nobody tell us?""
Catherine sat down.
"Arthur had an affair with me before he married Margaret. When I became pregnant, he wanted to acknowledge you. But Richard was already involved in his business affairs.""
"Richard agreed to raise me?""
"Richard wanted an heir. He and Catherine had been married for years without having a child. He agreed to raise you under his name, but only if Arthur kept the truth hidden.""
I stared at her.
"Why?""
"Because Arthur had created a trust for both of his children.""
Dominic's expression changed.
"Both?""
Catherine nodded.
"You and Eleanor were supposed to inherit equal shares.""
I looked at the papers.
"Then why did my father want Marcus's inheritance?""
"Because Arthur's original trust contained a condition. If either child died without a biological heir, the remaining share would transfer to the other branch of the family.""
Dominic frowned.
"Explain.""
Catherine looked at me.
"Richard knew that if Dominic died, your son would inherit his share. But if Marcus was proven not to be Dominic's biological child, the trust could be challenged.""
I felt sick.
"So he fabricated the DNA test.""
"Yes.""
"And the guardianship papers?""
"Those were designed to place Marcus under Richard's control while the inheritance dispute was being resolved.""
Dominic walked toward the window.
"Why did you let us get married?""
Catherine began crying.
"I didn't know.""
"You're telling me you knew about the trust, knew about the family relationship, and didn't know we were getting married?""
"I found out after the wedding.""
Dominic turned.
"And you said nothing?""
"I was afraid.""
"Of Richard?""
"Of what he would do.""
Dominic laughed without humor.
"Everyone was afraid of Richard. Meanwhile, I spent three years believing I had lost my hearing because of an accident.""
Catherine lowered her eyes.
"I know.""
"No, you don't.""
His voice cracked.
"You don't know what it was like to watch my son speak and hear nothing. You don't know what it was like to see Eleanor cry and not hear her voice. You don't know what it was like to wake up every morning and wonder whether the world would ever sound normal again.""
Catherine covered her face.
"I am sorry.""
Dominic turned away.
I stood between them, unable to process anything.
Then I noticed another document in the folder.
It was a laboratory report.
The date was three years earlier.
The test compared Marcus's DNA with Catherine's.
The conclusion was clear.
Catherine was Marcus's biological grandmother.
And beneath that result was a second test.
It compared Marcus with another individual.
I looked at the name.
*Margaret Hale.*
The result showed a maternal genetic relationship.
I frowned.
"Why was Margaret tested?""
Catherine's expression changed.
"Because she knew something about Arthur's final wishes.""
Dominic approached.
"What?""
Catherine hesitated.
"Margaret wasn't simply your mother. She was Arthur's second wife. She knew about the inheritance arrangement and helped him establish the trust.""
Dominic stared at her.
"Then why did she disappear?""
"Because Richard threatened to expose the affair and destroy both families.""
I remembered Margaret's arrival at our estate.
She had seemed frightened.
But she had also seemed determined.
"Where is she now?"" I asked.
Dominic took out his phone.
"At the estate with Marcus.""
He called James.
No answer.
He tried again.
Nothing.
His expression changed.
"Something's wrong.""
He looked at Catherine.
"How did you know we were here?""
Catherine hesitated.
"Someone told me.""
"Who?""
"Richard.""
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"You've been working with him?""
"No!""
She stood abruptly.
"He told me you were in danger. He said if I didn't come here, he would destroy the remaining evidence.""
Dominic stared at her.
Then he noticed something.
A small red light blinking beneath the edge of her handbag.
He pulled her away from the table.
"Don't move!""
Catherine gasped.
Dominic opened the bag.
Inside was a small electronic transmitter.
A live tracking device.
James reached for it.
"Sir, it's transmitting.""
Dominic looked at Catherine.
"Who gave you this?""
She shook her head.
"I don't know.""
The basement lights flickered.
Then Dominic's phone rang.
It was the estate's main security number.
He answered.
"James?""
A man's voice responded.
It wasn't James.
It was Richard.
"Good evening, Dominic.""
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Where is my son?""
Richard chuckled.
"Safe. For now.""
My heart stopped.
"Where is Marcus?"" I screamed.
Richard's voice remained calm.
"Your son is with his grandmother.""
I grabbed the phone.
"Give him back!""
"Come to the old Hale estate, Eleanor.""
Dominic took the phone from me.
"What do you want?""
Richard paused.
"Your shares.""
"They belong to Marcus.""
"Not anymore.""
Dominic's expression hardened.
"What have you done?""
Richard's reply was quiet.
"I've corrected a mistake that Arthur made twenty-six years ago.""
The call ended.
Catherine suddenly collapsed into a chair.
Her face was white.
"He's going to kill Margaret," she whispered.
Dominic looked at her.
"Why?""
Catherine began shaking.
"Because Margaret has the original trust.""
I stepped closer.
"Where?""
Catherine looked at me.
"Inside the family chapel.""
May you like
Then she added something that made Dominic's expression turn murderous.
"And the trust cannot be transferred without Marcus's blood sample.""
