Chapter 5 - The Secret Ethan Couldn't Tell Me
The note felt heavier than paper.
My brother knows why.
I looked at Ethan.
He stared at Daniel's handwriting.
His face had gone pale.
"Explain it," I whispered.
Ethan didn't answer.
"Please."
He slowly sat down.
"Norah, there are things about my family you don't understand."
"Then help me understand."
He rubbed his forehead.
"My brother was involved in something dangerous before he met you."
My stomach tightened.
"What kind of something?"
"Financial records. Missing money. People who wanted those records destroyed."
I stared.
"Daniel worked in a bookstore."
Ethan nodded.
"That was his legitimate job."
I took a step backward.
"You're telling me my son's father was involved in your organization?"
"He was trying to get out."
My heart hammered.
"Out of what?"
Ethan looked toward Sam.
"Our family's business."
I felt sick.
All those months I'd known Daniel.
His quiet smile.
His gentle hands.
The way he spoke about starting over.
Had any of it been real?
"He told me he wanted a normal life," I whispered.
Ethan looked at me.
"He did."
"Then why didn't you let him have one?"
The question landed hard.
Ethan closed his eyes.
For a long time, he didn't speak.
Then he whispered, "Because I made a mistake."
I stared.
"What mistake?"
"I trusted the wrong man."
"Gregory?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Gregory Davis worked for my family's financial operations before I assigned him to manage the restaurant."
My stomach dropped.
"He wasn't just a restaurant manager?"
"No."
"What did he do?"
"He handled financial accounts."
I felt cold.
"And Daniel discovered something?"
Ethan nodded.
"My brother found evidence that Gregory had been stealing money and using company accounts for illegal transactions."
"Then why didn't you fire him?"
"Because Gregory convinced me Daniel had fabricated the evidence."
I stared.
"You believed Gregory over your own brother?"
Ethan lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
My chest tightened.
"Just like that?"
"No. There were documents. Witnesses. Records."
"All provided by Gregory?"
Ethan didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
I looked toward Sam.
My baby was asleep in the crib.
And suddenly, I felt furious.
Not frightened.
Furious.
"You let someone turn you against your brother."
Ethan nodded.
"I did."
"And Daniel disappeared because of it."
His voice broke.
"Yes."
I wiped my eyes.
"Then why should I trust you?"
Ethan looked up.
"Because I'm telling you the truth now."
I shook my head.
"That's not enough."
He accepted the words without arguing.
"You're right."
Silence filled the room.
Then he stood.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to the authorities with everything I've uncovered."
I stared.
"Everything?"
He nodded.
"Even the evidence that could implicate me."
My heart tightened.
"Why?"
He looked toward Sam.
"Because my brother has a son."
His voice softened.
"And that little boy deserves a family that isn't built on lies."
I swallowed.
For the first time, I saw regret in Ethan's face.
Not the polished regret of a rich man trying to escape consequences.
Real regret.
Painful.
Humiliating.
The kind that forces someone to become different.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
"Marco?"
A pause.
His expression changed.
"What do you mean he's gone?"
My heart pounded.
"Who?"
Ethan looked toward me.
"Gregory."
I stepped forward.
"What happened?"
"His apartment is empty. His phone is disconnected. He didn't report to the restaurant."
I felt sick.
"He's running."
Ethan nodded.
Then another message appeared on his phone.
A photograph.
Daniel standing inside what looked like an abandoned warehouse.
His wrists were tied.
His face was bruised.
And beside him stood Gregory.
The message beneath the photograph read:
You have forty-eight hours, Ethan.
May you like
Bring the original financial ledger.
Or your brother dies.
