Chapter 8: The Truth Buried Three Years Ago
For three years, I had carried the same memory.
The hospital room.
The sound of machines.
The smell of antiseptic.
The feeling of Sarah's hand slowly becoming colder in mine.
That night had replayed in my mind thousands of times.
Every decision.
Every conversation.
Every second.
I remembered all of it.
At least, I thought I did.
But Victoria's words had planted something inside me.
A question.
A terrifying possibility.
What if the memory I had protected for three years wasn't the complete truth?
I stayed in my father's study until sunrise.
I didn't sleep.
I couldn't.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Sarah.
Not the illness.
Not the hospital.
Not the pain.
I saw her laughing.
I saw her dancing in our kitchen while cooking dinner.
I saw her holding Lily for the first time.
I saw the woman who changed my entire life.
And then I wondered something I never wanted to wonder.
Was someone responsible for taking her away?
At 6:30 in the morning, Daniel arrived.
One look at my face, and he knew something happened.
“What happened?””
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I handed him my phone.
He read the call history.
Then he looked at me.
“Victoria called?””
“Yes.””
“What did she say?””
I took a breath.
“She said Richard knows what happened the night Sarah died.””
Daniel became completely still.
Because Daniel knew that night too.
He was there.
Not in the room.
But close enough.
He knew what I went through.
“Ethan…”
“I need everything.””
“What?””
“Everything about that night.””
He stared at me.
“You've spent years trying not to go back there.””
“I know.””
“Are you sure?””
No.
I wasn't.
I was terrified.
But fear was no longer a reason to avoid the truth.
Not after someone threatened Lily.
Not after someone invaded my home.
Not after learning the people around me had secrets.
“Yes,” I said.
“I need to know.””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Okay.””
He sat down.
“I'll start from the beginning.””
Three years earlier, Sarah had collapsed during a charity event.
At first, everyone thought it was exhaustion.
She had been working too hard.
Taking care of Lily.
Supporting me.
Helping with the foundation.
Sarah always gave more than she received.
But the tests changed everything.
The diagnosis.
The treatments.
The endless appointments.
The months of hoping.
Months of believing we could beat it.
Until one night, she suddenly became worse.
The hospital said it was a complication.
A rare one.
Nobody questioned it.
Because when someone you love is dying, your brain doesn't look for mysteries.
It looks for miracles.
You don't investigate.
You pray.
You don't ask questions.
You hold their hand.
That was what I did.
Until the end.
But now Daniel was opening old files.
Records.
Reports.
Things I had never looked at because I couldn't.
“Ethan.””
I looked up.
He had a document in his hand.
“There was an irregularity.””
My chest tightened.
“What kind?””
“A medication record.””
I stood.
“Explain.””
“The medication Sarah received during her final treatment wasn't exactly what was scheduled.””
“What does that mean?””
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“It means someone changed the order.””
The room became silent.
“Someone changed her medication?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
“That’s what I’m trying to find.””
I stared at him.
“Daniel.””
“I know.””
“No.””
My voice became sharper.
“Who had access?””
He opened another file.
“Doctors. Nurses. Hospital staff.””
“Anyone else?””
A pause.
Then:
“Corporate representatives.””
I frowned.
“Why would corporate representatives have access to Sarah's medical records?””
“They shouldn't have.””
My hands tightened.
“Then why did they?””
Daniel didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Because we both knew.
Someone had influence.
Someone had power.
Someone had reached places they shouldn't have been able to reach.
By noon, Olivia arrived at the house.
She looked nervous.
“I found something.””
Apparently, everyone had something to tell me now.
A hidden truth.
A secret file.
A piece of my life I wasn't allowed to know.
“What did you find?””
She placed a folder on the table.
“Richard's financial records.””
I opened it.
At first, nothing stood out.
Then I saw a transaction.
A large payment.
Three years ago.
The exact month Sarah died.
“Who paid him?””
Olivia hesitated.
“A private investment company.””
“Name.””
She looked at the page.
“Northbridge Capital.””
I froze.
I knew that company.
Everyone in the business world knew it.
A powerful investment group.
But that wasn't what shocked me.
It was the person connected to it.
“Who owns Northbridge?””
Olivia looked at me.
“Ethan…”
“Tell me.””
She lowered her voice.
“Your father's former business partner.””
My blood went cold.
“My father didn't have a business partner.””
Olivia looked confused.
“Everyone thought he did.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“My father built Vance Hospitality alone.””
She opened another file.
“According to these records, he had a partner during the first years.””
I stared at the document.
A name.
A name I had never seen before.
*Thomas Vance.*
My father's brother.
My uncle.
A man I was told died before I was born.
I looked at Olivia.
“What is this?””
“I don't know.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Ethan…”
I looked at him.
“What?””
“I found something else.””
He handed me another document.
This one was older.
Much older.
A family record.
My hands felt numb as I read it.
Thomas Vance wasn't dead.
He had left the company decades ago after a disagreement with my father.
And according to the records…
He had a son.
A son who was alive.
A son who had changed his name.
A son who had been working near Vance Hospitality for years.
I looked up slowly.
“No.””
Daniel's expression was serious.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
He hesitated.
Then said:
“Richard Cole.””
The room stopped.
Everything connected.
The anger.
The obsession.
The company.
The betrayal.
Richard wasn't just a former partner.
He wasn't just someone who wanted revenge.
He was family.
A family member who believed he had been robbed of something.
A family member who had spent years building resentment.
I sat down.
Because suddenly, every conversation with Richard looked different.
Every accusation.
Every argument.
Every moment.
He wasn't fighting for a company.
He was fighting a war he believed started before I was even born.
That evening, I asked Victoria to meet me.
She arrived alone.
No assistant.
No security.
No excuses.
When she entered the room, she looked older than she had yesterday.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like she had been carrying a weight for too long.
“Ethan.””
I didn't hug her.
That hurt both of us.
But I couldn't pretend nothing happened.
“You knew.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I knew some of it.””
“Some?””
“I didn't know everything.””
“You knew Richard was connected to our family.””
“Yes.””
“And you didn't tell me?””
She looked down.
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“He would destroy everything.””
I stared at her.
“He already is.””
She wiped her eyes.
“I tried to stop him.””
“By spying on me?””
Her face fell.
“I thought I could understand what he was planning.””
“You could have told me.””
“You wouldn't have listened.””
“That isn't your decision.””
She looked at me.
And for a moment, she looked like the little girl from the old photograph.
The sister who used to hide behind me during storms.
“I lost Sarah too, Ethan.””
My anger softened slightly.
“She was my family.””
“I know.””
“I watched you disappear after she died.””
Silence.
“You stopped being my brother.””
That hurt.
Because maybe there was truth in it.
“I was trying to survive.””
“I know.””
Her voice cracked.
“But you weren't the only one who lost someone.””
I looked away.
She continued.
“Richard came to me because he knew I was vulnerable.””
“What did he tell you?””
“That he wanted justice.””
I almost laughed.
“Justice?””
“He said our father stole everything from his family.””
I stared at her.
“Did you believe him?””
She was silent.
That was answer enough.
“Victoria.””
“I don't know what I believed anymore.””
I walked toward the window.
The same window where I had stood countless times questioning my own judgment.
“Who changed the medication?””
Her face changed.
The fear returned.
“What?””
“You heard me.””
She looked terrified.
“Ethan…”
“Who?””
She looked at me.
And slowly shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Do you know something?””
A long silence.
Then:
“I know Richard wasn't the only one there that night.””
My heart stopped.
“What does that mean?””
She looked toward the hallway.
Then back at me.
“It means someone else wanted Sarah gone.””
The room felt freezing.
“Who?””
Victoria opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, every light in the house suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
One sentence.
*Stop digging, Ethan. The truth killed Sarah once. It can kill you too.*
I looked up.
Victoria was gone.
And for the first time, I realized something.
The enemy wasn't trying to hide anymore.
They were watching us.
May you like
They were close.
And they were desperate.
