Chapter 5: The Secret He Buried
Richard Hayes stood in the doorway, holding his black umbrella.
Nobody spoke.
My mother looked terrified. Daniel's face had gone pale, and I could hear my own heartbeat.
Richard glanced at them before looking directly at me.
“Grace, I believe you deserve to know what your husband has done.”
I folded my arms.
“Then speak. I'm tired of everyone telling me that I deserve the truth without actually giving it to me.”
He nodded slowly.
“Fair enough.”
Richard entered the room and placed a thick envelope on the table.
“Three years ago, Daniel Hayes was in serious financial trouble. His company was close to collapse, and he needed an investor who could save it.”
I frowned.
“What does that have to do with my marriage?”
“Everything,” he replied. “Because the person who saved his company was you.”
I stared at him.
“I never gave Daniel money.”
“You inherited a substantial amount from your grandmother. Your brother helped arrange an investment through a private agreement. The money went into the company shortly before your wedding.”
I turned toward Daniel.
“Is that true?”
He looked down.
“Yes, Grace.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I promised our mother I would protect your inheritance.”
“Protect it from whom?”
Nobody answered.
Richard opened the envelope and removed a document.
“Your marriage agreement contains a clause that neither you nor Daniel fully understood.”
I snatched the paper from his hand.
My name appeared at the top, followed by a list of legal conditions.
I read the paragraph twice.
If certain conditions were met, the investment would give me a controlling interest in the company.
I looked up.
“Are you saying I own part of Daniel's business?”
“More than part,” Richard replied. “Depending on the original contract and whether its conditions have been met, you may hold enough shares to influence the entire company.”
I felt dizzy.
I had never wanted to own a company. I had only wanted a peaceful marriage.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
Richard's expression hardened.
“Because Alexander intends to marry Sophia tomorrow, and he believes that once he does, he can gain access to the agreement.”
My mother gasped.
Daniel stepped forward.
“That's enough, Richard.”
“No,” I interrupted. “It's not enough. I want the whole truth.”
Richard looked at me for a long moment.
“Then ask your husband why he invited you to his wedding.”
I froze.
“You know about the invitation?”
“I know more than you think.”
He took another document from the envelope.
It was a copy of a letter bearing Alexander's signature.
The date was from two months earlier.
I began reading.
Once the marriage is legally dissolved, Amelia's claim to the investment may become difficult to enforce. The wedding announcement will help move the family agreement forward.
My fingers trembled.
“Amelia?” I whispered. “Who is Amelia?”
Richard's expression changed.
For the first time, he looked as though he had made a mistake.
Daniel quickly reached for the letter, but I pulled it away.
“Who is Amelia?”
My mother closed her eyes.
Richard finally answered.
“Amelia Rivers is the name of another woman who invested in Alexander's company.”
I stared at the paper.
“But the letter says marriage. It says the marriage will be dissolved.”
“Someone may have mixed two agreements together,” Richard admitted. “We need the original documents before drawing conclusions.”
For once, someone had admitted that they didn't know everything.
But that didn't make me feel better.
It made me realize how much of my life had become tangled in secrets.
I turned to Daniel.
“Did you know about this letter?”
“No.”
“Did you know my husband was planning another wedding?”
He hesitated.
That hesitation was enough to break something inside me.
“You knew something,” I whispered.
Daniel stepped toward me.
“Grace, I was trying to find proof before telling you.”
I backed away.
“Everyone keeps saying they're protecting me. But nobody seems to understand that every secret you keep makes my life worse.”
Suddenly, my phone rang.
Alexander.
I answered immediately.
“What do you want?”
His voice sounded unusually calm.
“Grace, where are you?”
“Why?”
“Because I know you're with my father.”
I looked at Richard.
Alexander continued.
“Listen carefully. Don't sign anything he gives you. He's been trying to destroy my family for years.”
Richard shook his head.
“Don't believe him, Grace.”
Alexander's voice grew louder.
“Grace, come home. We can discuss everything privately.”
“Why should I trust you?”
There was a pause.
Then he said something I never expected.
“Because Sophia isn't the woman I'm supposed to marry.”
My heart stopped.
“What does that mean?”
“She's using you. She's using me. And if you don't come home tonight, you'll never discover why your father disappeared.”
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Then a message appeared from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of my father standing outside a building.
Beneath it were seven words:
YOUR FATHER IS WAITING FOR YOU, GRACE.
I looked at Richard.
“Where was this photograph taken?”
He studied it, and his expression changed.
“At my private residence.”
My mother covered her mouth.
Daniel whispered, “That's impossible.”
I looked from one face to another.
“Why?”
Richard slowly lifted his eyes to mine.
“Because that photograph was taken this morning.”
My father was alive.
And someone had just shown me exactly where to find him.
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