Chapter 6: The Voice From The Past
“Hello?””
Margaret’s voice trembled.
For seven years, she had imagined hearing Thomas again.
Sometimes in dreams.
Sometimes in the quiet moments before sleep.
Sometimes when she walked through the old factory and caught herself expecting to see him standing near the machines, holding a coffee cup and complaining about the noise.
But those were memories.
This was different.
This was real.
The line remained silent.
Margaret gripped the phone tighter.
“Thomas?””
Rachel and Daniel stood frozen across the office.
Nobody wanted to interrupt.
Nobody wanted to breathe too loudly.
Then a voice finally answered.
A voice Margaret knew better than her own.
“Margaret.””
Her knees nearly gave out.
She grabbed the edge of the desk.
Because no matter how many years passed, no matter how much time separated them…
She knew that voice.
“You’re alive.””
The words came out like a question.
Like she was afraid the answer would destroy her.
A long silence followed.
Then:
“Yes.””
Everything stopped.
The room.
The storm.
The world outside.
Margaret closed her eyes.
A thousand emotions hit her at once.
Anger.
Relief.
Confusion.
Pain.
“You’re alive,” she repeated.
“Yes.””
“You let me believe you were dead.””
The silence on the other end was longer this time.
“I know.””
Margaret’s eyes filled with tears.
Not sadness.
Not exactly.
It was the pain of someone realizing they had spent seven years grieving a lie.
“You know?””
Her voice became sharper.
“You know what I went through?””
“Margaret—”
“No.””
She stood straighter.
“No, you don’t get to say my name like nothing happened.””
Rachel watched quietly.
The woman who had faced hostile investors, lawsuits, and corporate battles without fear was now fighting something much more personal.
“You were my husband,” Margaret said.
“I know.””
“You were the father of my son.””
“I know.””
“You were my partner.””
A pause.
“And then you disappeared.””
Thomas didn’t answer.
That silence hurt more than an excuse.
Daniel stepped closer and whispered:
“Ask him where he is.””
Margaret nodded slightly.
“Where are you?””
Thomas hesitated.
“I can’t tell you.””
Her expression changed.
After everything…
After seven years…
He still had secrets.
“Why?””
“Because if I tell you, you become part of this.””
Margaret laughed bitterly.
“Part of this?””
She looked around the office.
“At this moment, someone is using your identity to attack my company. Someone has been manipulating my family. Someone has been trying to take everything I built.””
Her voice cracked.
“I think I’m already part of it.””
Thomas was silent.
Then he said:
“I was trying to protect you.””
Margaret froze.
The sentence sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
“You said that before.””
“Yes.””
“And I hated that answer then.””
“I know.””
“Because protecting me meant lying to me.””
Another silence.
Then Thomas said something unexpected.
“I was wrong.””
Margaret looked down.
For years, she had imagined this moment.
She imagined yelling.
She imagined demanding answers.
She imagined making him feel even a fraction of the pain she felt.
But hearing him admit it made everything more complicated.
“Why now?”” she asked.
“Because they know.””
“Who?””
“The people who wanted control of Hayes Global.””
Rachel’s eyes narrowed.
Margaret looked at her.
“You mean Rachel?””
There was a pause.
Then Thomas answered:
“No.””
The room became still.
Margaret looked confused.
“No?””
“Rachel is dangerous.””
Rachel’s face tightened.
“But she isn’t the person you should be worried about.””
Margaret glanced at the documents on the desk.
“Then who?””
Thomas lowered his voice.
“The person who hired her.””
Everyone froze.
Rachel’s expression changed.
“I don’t work for anyone.””
Margaret looked at her.
Thomas continued.
“She thinks she’s making her own decisions.””
Rachel stepped forward.
“What did he say?””
Margaret ignored her.
“You knew about Rachel?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“I watched.””
The answer made Margaret uncomfortable.
“You watched?””
“From a distance.””
Her anger returned.
“You watched me suffer?””
“No.””
His voice changed.
“I watched because I was trying to find the people behind what happened.””
“What happened?””
Thomas didn’t answer immediately.
Then:
“My accident wasn’t an accident.””
The words hit the room like an explosion.
Margaret stopped moving.
Daniel slowly looked up.
Rachel’s face went pale.
“What?””
Margaret whispered.
“What did you say?””
“My car crash was planned.””
For years, Margaret had accepted the official story.
A wet road.
A dangerous turn.
A vehicle that lost control.
A tragic accident.
She had built her grief around that explanation.
Now Thomas was tearing it apart.
“Who?””
“I don’t know everything yet.””
Margaret’s voice rose.
“Seven years and you still don’t know?””
“I know enough.””
“Enough for what?””
“To know that the person behind it is close to you.””
Her eyes moved toward Rachel.
Then back.
“Who?””
Thomas didn’t answer.
Instead, he asked:
“Is Alexander there?””
Margaret froze.
The question felt strange.
“Yes.””
A pause.
“No.””
She corrected herself.
“He’s not here.””
Thomas became quiet.
“Is he safe?””
Margaret’s heart tightened.
“What do you mean?””
“Margaret.””
His voice became urgent.
“You need to find him.””
Daniel looked at her.
“What’s happening?””
Margaret covered the phone.
“Thomas says we need to find Alexander.””
Rachel suddenly spoke.
“That’s impossible.””
Everyone looked at her.
Rachel seemed to realize she had revealed too much.
Margaret narrowed her eyes.
“Why is that impossible?””
Rachel looked away.
“I mean…”
She struggled.
“I mean, if Alexander is involved, he knows how to protect himself.””
Thomas heard her.
“Rachel is there?””
Margaret looked at Rachel.
“Yes.””
A long pause.
Then Thomas said:
“Do not trust her.””
Rachel immediately reacted.
“You don’t know me.””
Thomas ignored her.
“Margaret, listen carefully.””
His tone changed.
The fear in his voice was unmistakable.
“The documents Rachel brought you were never the real plan.””
Margaret looked at the papers.
“What do you mean?””
“The company transfer was a distraction.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Then what was the actual objective?””
Thomas answered:
“Access.””
“To what?””
Another pause.
“The private archives.””
Margaret frowned.
“What archives?””
Thomas went silent.
And that silence told her everything.
Because there was something he had hidden.
Something even bigger.
“Thomas.””
“I didn’t want you to know.””
Her voice became cold.
“You don’t get to decide what I can handle anymore.””
A pause.
Then he said:
“The archives contain evidence about the people who tried to destroy us.””
Margaret looked around the office.
“What kind of evidence?””
Thomas lowered his voice.
“Evidence that proves the company was never targeted because of its money.””
“Then why?””
“Because of what I discovered.””
“What did you discover?””
The line crackled.
Thomas sounded farther away.
“Margaret, I need you to leave the mansion.””
She frowned.
“What?””
“Now.””
“Why?””
His voice became urgent.
“Because they already know you found the phone.””
Everyone turned.
The office door suddenly clicked.
The sound was small.
But everyone heard it.
Margaret slowly looked toward the entrance.
The handle moved.
Rachel stepped back.
Daniel closed the laptop.
Thomas whispered through the phone:
“Margaret…”
The door began opening.
“Don’t let them see you alone.””
The door opened halfway.
A shadow appeared in the hallway.
Margaret held her breath.
Then Thomas said the words that made her blood run cold.
“Because the person standing outside…”
May you like
A pause.
“…is the reason I disappeared.””
