Chapter 2
Emily was taken to the hospital immediately.
I rode beside her in the ambulance, holding her hand while the paramedic monitored our son’s heartbeat.
Every beep felt like a countdown.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
“For now,” the paramedic said. “But we need to make sure there’s no early labor.”
Emily squeezed my fingers.
“I’m sorry.”
I stared at her.
“For what?”
“For not telling you sooner.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“They said you’d blame me.”
My chest tightened.
“Who said that?”
“Your mother.”
I looked away because I didn’t want Emily to see my anger.
At the hospital, doctors examined her for nearly two hours.
Finally, Dr. Reynolds entered.
“The baby’s heartbeat is strong.”
I nearly collapsed with relief.
“But Emily needs rest. Stress like this can trigger complications.”
“I’m taking her home.”
Emily immediately shook her head.
“Not that house.”
I understood.
The house didn’t feel safe anymore.
I booked a hotel suite near the hospital and called a security company.
Then Detective Harris arrived.
He carried Chloe’s phone inside an evidence bag.
“We found more messages.”
“With the lawyer?”
He nodded.
“His name is Martin Keller.”
I knew that name.
Dad’s attorney.
Keller had handled our family’s estate after Grandpa died.
“What was he doing with Chloe?”
“That’s what we’re determining.”
Harris placed several printed screenshots on the table.
The messages went back months.
Chloe had been asking Keller how to access my son’s trust before the baby was even born.
One message stopped me.
Your brother cannot know the trust contains the Lakewood shares.
I looked at Harris.
“What Lakewood shares?”
He studied me.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
Emily sat upright.
“Ryan, what is Lakewood?”
I knew the name.
Lakewood Holdings was the company Grandpa built.
Dad had always claimed it was sold after Grandpa’s death.
Apparently, that was another lie.
Detective Harris pointed to another message.
According to Keller, your child’s trust doesn’t simply contain twelve million dollars. It contains ownership shares.”
“How many?”
“We’re checking.”
My phone suddenly rang.
Dad.
I stared at the screen.
Harris nodded.
“Answer it. Put it on speaker.”
I did.
Dad’s voice exploded through the room.
“Ryan, tell them this was a family disagreement.”
“No.”
“You don’t understand what you’ve done.”
“I understand exactly what you did.”
“No, you don’t.”
His voice dropped.
“You think this is about twelve million dollars?”
Emily and I looked at each other.
“What is it about?”
Silence.
Then Dad said something I would remember forever.
“Your grandfather left everything to the first great-grandchild.”
My mouth went dry.
“What does everything mean?”
Before Dad answered, another voice appeared in the background.
Mom.
“Don’t tell him!”
The call ended.
Detective Harris slowly lowered his notebook.
Emily stared at me.
“This wasn’t about money.”
“No.”
“It was about control.”
I looked at the papers again.
Grandpa had known my family better than I did.
That realization hurt more than I expected.
Later that night, after Emily finally fell asleep, someone knocked on the hotel door.
Security called first.
A woman was downstairs asking for me.
Her name was Margaret Wells.
I recognized it immediately.
Grandpa’s former accountant.
I went down.
Margaret was nearly seventy now.
She carried a locked briefcase.
When she saw me, she looked frightened.
“I heard about your family.”
“What do you know?”
“Enough to tell you that Chloe wasn’t acting alone.”
“My parents?”
She shook her head.
“Someone else.”
She opened the briefcase.
Inside was an envelope addressed in Grandpa’s handwriting.
To Ryan, when they finally show you who they are.
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside was a single letter.
Ryan,
If you are reading this, your father has discovered what I protected from him.
Trust no one who asks you to change the trust.
Especially Martin Keller.
I looked up.
Margaret’s face had gone white.
Then the hotel doors opened behind her.
A man walked inside.
Dark suit.
Silver hair.
Martin Keller.
May you like
He looked directly at me.
And smiled.
