Chapter 6: The Family That Wanted Me Gone
After the call ended, nobody moved.
The silence was unbearable.
It felt like the entire house was waiting for someone to admit the truth.
Marcus looked exhausted.
Tara looked afraid.
And I felt like I was standing in the middle of a life that belonged to someone else.
“Elena’s father prepared the documents?””
My voice sounded distant.
Marcus nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
I stared at him.
“And you didn’t think that was important?””
“I did.””
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
He looked down.
“Because I knew how it looked.””
I laughed bitterly.
“How it looked?””
I pointed toward the locked room.
“You hid your first wife’s entire life from me.””
Then I pointed at the papers.
“You let me sign documents I didn’t understand.””
Then I looked at him.
“And now I find out your dead wife’s father was controlling your future?””
Marcus didn’t defend himself.
That scared me more than an argument would have.
“What was Elena’s father trying to do?””
Marcus sat down.
“He blamed me.””
“For her death?””
His face tightened.
“Yes.””
The answer surprised me.
“Did you cause it?””
“No.””
His response was immediate.
But pain followed it.
“I couldn’t save her.””
The room became quiet.
I saw something I had never seen before.
Not guilt.
Grief.
Real grief.
“She was sick,” Marcus said.
I listened.
“She had been sick for years. She didn’t tell people how bad it was.””
His voice became softer.
“She hated being treated like she was fragile.””
I looked toward the photograph.
The woman who had existed before me.
“She wanted to keep working.””
Marcus smiled sadly.
“She loved that company.””
For the first time, Elena became a person to me.
Not a secret.
Not a threat.
A woman.
A woman who had loved Marcus.
A woman who had built something.
A woman whose memory had been turned into a weapon.
“What happened after she died?””
Marcus looked at the floor.
“Elena’s father thought I abandoned her.””
“Did you?””
“No.””
“Then why would he think that?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
And once again, I knew there was something missing.
Before I could question him, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From James.
I opened it.
Attached was a photo.
A document.
The title made my chest tighten.
*Marriage Investigation Report.*
I looked at Marcus.
“What is this?””
His face changed.
“Maya…”
“You knew about this?””
He stood.
“Please listen.””
“No.””
I held up the phone.
“Someone investigated my marriage.””
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Tara.
“Did you know?””
“No.””
For once, she looked genuinely shocked.
I looked back at Marcus.
“Who investigated me?””
He didn’t answer.
“Who?””
Finally, he whispered:
“Elena’s father.””
I felt sick.
“Why?””
“Because he wanted to know if you were with me for the wrong reasons.””
“And what did he find?””
Marcus looked away.
I understood.
“He found nothing.””
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“He found something.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Marcus walked toward the table.
He picked up the old document.
“Before we met, I was struggling.””
“With money?””
“With everything.””
He looked at me.
“The company was failing.””
I frowned.
“But Elena owned it.””
“Yes.””
“Then how?””
“Because after she died, I couldn’t handle running it.””
He swallowed.
“I was drowning.””
I looked at him.
“And then I met you.””
“Yes.””
“And I helped you.””
He nodded.
I remembered.
I remembered those nights sitting beside him while he worked.
I remembered helping organize files.
I remembered encouraging him when he wanted to quit.
I remembered believing we built everything together.
“We did,” he said quietly.
I looked at him.
“You’re saying that like you know what I’m thinking.””
“Because I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
My voice broke.
“You don’t know what it feels like to wonder if every good memory was real.””
He looked devastated.
“Maya.””
“Did you love me before you needed me?””
He couldn’t answer.
And that was the question I would remember forever.
Because sometimes silence is not an answer.
Sometimes silence is confirmation.
Later that afternoon, I drove to James’s office.
I needed the truth from someone who didn’t love me.
Someone who didn’t have a reason to protect Marcus.
James was waiting when I arrived.
He looked older than I expected.
Tired.
Like a man carrying a secret for too long.
“Thank you for coming.””
I sat across from him.
“I want everything.””
He nodded.
“I thought you would.””
He placed a folder on the desk.
“This contains the full investigation.””
I opened it.
The first pages were about Marcus.
The next pages were about Elena.
Then I saw my name.
I stopped.
“Why is there a section about me?””
James looked uncomfortable.
“Because Elena’s father believed you were part of a plan.””
“A plan?””
“Yes.””
“To take the company?””
James nodded.
I stared at the pages.
“That’s insane.””
“Is it?””
I looked up.
“What does that mean?””
James opened another file.
“This is why I called you.””
He placed a photograph on the table.
It was a picture of Marcus.
Taken before we met.
But he wasn’t alone.
Standing beside him was a woman.
A woman I recognized.
Because I had seen her at the birthday party.
Claire.
Marcus’s friend from work.
My hands went cold.
“Why is she in this file?””
James looked at me.
“Because Claire was the person who helped prepare the original documents.””
I stared at the photo.
“But Claire is Marcus’s friend.””
James nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why would she help?””
He looked at me carefully.
“Because Claire wasn’t just his friend.””
My heartbeat increased.
“Then who was she?””
James pushed another document across the desk.
At the top was a name.
May you like
A name that made my stomach drop.
“Claire was Elena’s sister.””
