Chapter 6: The Truth She Buried
I didn’t speak for several seconds.
I just stared at the screen.
Brooke Reynolds.
The name looked like a betrayal written in ink.
She noticed my expression.
“What?””
I turned the phone around.
Her face changed.
“I didn’t do that.””
Daniel’s voice remained calm.
“The system shows your credentials.””
“I know.””
“Then explain.””
Brooke looked at me.
“I can’t.””
That answer made everything worse.
“You can’t?””
“I mean I don’t know how.””
I pushed my wheelchair backward.
The movement was small.
But Brooke reacted like I had struck her.
“Ethan.””
“No.””
My voice was quiet.
That was when people usually knew I was angry.
“When were you going to tell me?””
She looked confused.
“Tell you what?””
“That your name was connected to my father’s files.””
“I didn’t know.””
“Convenient.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You think I wanted this?””
“I think you made choices.””
She looked away.
And for once, she didn’t argue.
Because she knew I was right.
Daniel gathered his things.
“We need to separate facts from emotions.””
I looked at him.
“Facts.””
He nodded.
“Fact one: Brooke knew about the accident.””
Brooke lowered her head.
“Fact two: her account accessed the estate files.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Fact three: someone may have used her identity.””
Brooke looked up.
“Exactly.””
I studied her.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“No.””
Her answer surprised me.
“I expect you to investigate.””
The confidence in her voice was different.
Not arrogance.
Desperation.
The next morning, Daniel’s team traced the digital activity.
The results came back within hours.
The access point wasn’t Brooke’s home.
It wasn’t her office.
It was a private server owned by Reynolds Global.
Chad’s family.
Again.
But there was one problem.
The login was still Brooke’s.
“She was framed,” Daniel said.
I looked at the report.
“Maybe.””
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t believe her?””
“I believe evidence.””
He nodded.
“That’s fair.””
That afternoon, I went back to Carter Innovations.
The company was struggling.
Not because we were failing.
Because people were waiting for us to collapse.
Rumors moved faster than facts.
Employees whispered.
Investors disappeared.
And the same people who once fought for my attention suddenly forgot my phone number.
Mia walked into my office.
“You need to see this.””
She placed a tablet on my desk.
A news article filled the screen.
Billionaire Heir Chad Reynolds Announces Acquisition Plans.
My jaw tightened.
“They’re moving publicly.””
Mia nodded.
“They think you’re too damaged to fight.””
I looked out the window.
The city stretched beneath me.
Three months ago, I thought losing my ability to walk was the hardest thing I would ever face.
I was wrong.
The hardest thing was watching people celebrate your fall.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in.””
The door opened.
Isabella stepped inside.
She looked nervous.
“Mia said I could find you here.””
I looked at her.
“What happened?””
She handed me a small notebook.
“My father kept records.””
I opened it.
Pages of dates.
Names.
Payments.
My eyes moved quickly.
Then I saw it.
A payment made two days before my accident.
The recipient was hidden.
But the initials were clear.
C.R.
Chad Reynolds.
I looked at Isabella.
“How did your father get this?””
She hesitated.
“He met with someone.””
“Who?””
She swallowed.
“Your father.””
I froze.
“My father met your father?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The day before the accident.””
The room went silent.
My father knew.
He knew something was coming.
And he had met Isabella’s father because of it.
I turned the page.
There was one final note.
Written in my father’s handwriting.
Protect Ethan.
No matter the cost.
My chest tightened.
Because my father hadn’t abandoned me.
He had been fighting for me.
Even after he was gone.
Then my phone rang.
Daniel.
I answered.
“Ethan.””
His voice sounded different.
Serious.
“What happened?””
“We found the person who leaked your medical records.””
I sat straighter.
“Who?””
A pause.
May you like
Then:
“Your mother.””
