Chapter 3: The Secret Behind the Accident
Three months earlier, my life had changed in eleven seconds.
That was how long it took for my car to lose control on a rainy highway.
Eleven seconds.
A lifetime could disappear in eleven seconds.
The official report said it was an accident.
A mechanical failure.
A tragic mistake.
I believed that.
Until the night of the gala.
Until Daniel showed me the documents.
“Your brakes were inspected before the crash,” he said.
I stared at the report.
“Inspected?””
“Yes.””
“By who?””
Daniel placed a paper in front of me.
My stomach tightened.
The inspection company belonged to one of Chad Reynolds’ business partners.
I looked up.
“No.””
Daniel didn’t speak.
He didn’t need to.
The possibility was already growing in my mind.
Brooke.
Chad.
The accident.
The timing.
Everything connected too perfectly.
But I needed proof.
Not anger.
Not revenge.
Proof.
The next morning, I returned to Carter Innovations.
The building looked exactly the same.
The glass walls.
The marble floors.
The employees rushing through the lobby.
But something felt different.
People stared.
Some looked uncomfortable.
Some looked guilty.
My assistant, Mia, ran toward me.
“Ethan.””
She stopped herself.
Her eyes went to the wheelchair.
“I’m sorry.””
I smiled.
“Everyone keeps apologizing.””
“Because everyone feels terrible.””
“Everyone?””
She looked away.
That answer told me everything.
“Who stayed?”” I asked.
Mia swallowed.
“Almost nobody.””
I nodded.
“Good.””
She looked confused.
“Good?””
“Yes.””
I entered my office.
Because sometimes losing people was the fastest way to discover their value.
Mia followed.
“There’s something else.””
“What?””
She placed a folder on my desk.
“This was found in the company records.””
I opened it.
Inside was a series of emails.
The sender was hidden.
But the messages were clear.
Someone had been tracking my investments.
My medical condition.
My legal documents.
One sentence stood out.
Wait until he is completely isolated.
My hands went still.
Mia whispered:
“Ethan?””
I looked at her.
“Who had access to this?””
She hesitated.
Then said:
“Brooke.””
The room became silent.
That evening, I met Isabella.
Not at the gala.
At a small coffee shop across town.
She looked surprised when she saw me.
“Mr. Carter?””
“Ethan is fine.””
She smiled.
“Why am I here?””
“Because I need someone who tells the truth.””
She looked uncomfortable.
“I don’t know anything about business.””
“That’s not why I called you.””
I told her about the gala.
About the documents.
About the accident.
She listened quietly.
When I finished, she said something unexpected.
“You’re not angry.””
I looked at her.
“I am.””
“Then why don’t you act angry?””
“Because anger makes people careless.””
She nodded slowly.
“My father used to say something similar.””
“You had a wise father?””
She smiled sadly.
“Yes.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face changed.
“Is everything okay?””
She stood immediately.
“I have to go.””
“Isabella?””
She looked back at me.
“I’m sorry.””
Then she left.
But she forgot something on the table.
A small envelope.
I picked it up.
And froze.
May you like
Because written across the front were four words.
Carter Accident Evidence.
