Chapter 10: The Truth Beneath the Truth
I spent the rest of the night staring at the same question.
What had Lucas done?
The man who had protected me.
The man who had risked his life.
The man who had uncovered Vivian’s secrets.
What was he hiding?
The worst part was that I already knew the answer wouldn’t be simple.
Nothing in my life was simple anymore.
At six in the morning, I found Lucas waiting outside my house.
He looked exhausted.
Like he hadn’t slept either.
The moment he saw me, he knew.
“You watched the video.””
I stepped onto the driveway and closed the door behind me.
“My mother said you made a mistake.””
Lucas looked down.
“She told you.””
“She didn’t say what.””
For a moment, he didn’t speak.
Then he nodded slowly.
“I was hoping you would never have to know.””
I felt anger rise.
“That’s what everyone says right before they destroy my life.””
Lucas accepted the words.
He didn’t defend himself.
And somehow, that made it worse.
“What did you do?””
He took a deep breath.
“Two years ago, I found out Vivian wasn’t just planning to take your company.””
“What else?””
“She was planning to erase you completely.””
I stared at him.
“Explain.””
“She had been collecting information. Medical records. Personal messages. Financial mistakes.””
“I know.””
“No.””
Lucas looked at me.
“You know about the custody plan.””
I went quiet.
He continued.
“You don’t know about the first plan.””
“What first plan?””
Lucas looked toward my house.
“The plan to make you disappear.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Disappear?””
“She wanted everyone to believe you abandoned your family.””
I shook my head.
“That’s insane.””
“She was going to create a story.””
Lucas’s voice became quieter.
“That you had a breakdown. That you left. That you were unstable.””
I thought about the documents.
The fake evidence.
The accusations.
“She was building a case.””
“Yes.””
“Against me.””
“Yes.””
I looked at him.
“So what did you do?””
Lucas swallowed.
“I stole something.””
The answer surprised me.
“What?””
“The original evidence.””
“What evidence?””
“The files Vivian had been collecting.””
I stared.
“From her?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn’t you give them to me?””
His face changed.
Because I had finally reached the part he didn’t want to discuss.
“Because I wasn’t sure you would believe me.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You thought I wouldn’t believe my own brother?””
“No.””
Lucas looked away.
“I thought you would believe your wife.””
That hurt.
Because it was true.
For years, I had defended Vivian.
I had explained away every strange moment.
Every cruel comment.
Every uncomfortable feeling.
I had chosen trust over suspicion.
And someone had used that against me.
We went inside my office.
Lucas placed another folder on my desk.
“This is what I found before I disappeared.””
Inside were copies of emails.
Messages.
Photos.
But one thing caught my attention.
A name.
My father.
I looked up.
“What does my father have to do with this?””
Lucas sat down.
“Everything.””
I read the documents carefully.
They were about the family trust.
The one my mother mentioned.
But there was something I didn’t understand.
“Why would Vivian care about a trust she couldn’t access?””
Lucas pointed at one line.
“Because she needed you to sign.””
I froze.
“What?””
“The trust has a condition.””
“What condition?””
He looked at me.
“You can only transfer control if you willingly approve it.””
My stomach tightened.
“So she needed me to choose.””
“Yes.””
“And if I refused?””
“She needed another way.””
I looked at the custody papers.
“She needed the children.””
Lucas nodded.
“If she gained legal control over them, she could challenge the trust.””
The room went silent.
All this time.
The jewelry.
Maya.
Daniel.
The lies.
It was all connected.
But then I noticed something else.
A date.
A date from years ago.
Before Vivian and I married.
I looked at Lucas.
“Why was Vivian investigating our family before she met me?””
Lucas’s face became serious.
“Because she already knew about you.””
“How?””
He hesitated.
Then said:
“Your father had another family member.””
I stared.
“What?””
Lucas pushed another document toward me.
A birth record.
A name.
A person I had never heard of.
My hands went cold.
“This is impossible.””
Lucas shook his head.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“It’s the reason Vivian knew so much.””
I looked at the name again.
A half-sibling.
Someone connected to my father’s past.
Someone who had a claim to the same inheritance.
Someone Vivian had been searching for.
Then my phone rang.
The number was unknown.
I answered.
A woman’s voice spoke.
“Ethan Hale?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Rebecca.””
I looked at Lucas.
“Who are you?””
The woman was silent for a moment.
May you like
Then:
“I’m the daughter your father never told you about.””
