Chapter 5 - The Family That Wanted My Money
The lights went out.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
The mansion that had felt so controlled suddenly became unfamiliar.
The expensive furniture.
The perfect decorations.
The carefully planned image.
Everything disappeared into darkness.
Then emergency lights turned on.
A soft red glow filled the room.
And under that strange light, I saw something I would never forget.
Hunter was not looking at me.
He was looking at Patricia.
Waiting for her reaction.
Not mine.
That was when I finally understood.
My husband had never been standing beside me.
He had been standing beside the person who controlled him.
I looked down at the photograph still open on my phone.
Hunter entering my family's private office.
Two days before our wedding.
And beside him...
My uncle Daniel's former attorney.
The same man who disappeared from our family records after Daniel vanished.
My heart tightened.
"Who is he?"
I held the phone up.
Nobody answered.
Hunter looked at the photograph.
His face lost all color.
Patricia immediately stepped forward.
"Give me that."
I pulled the phone away.
"No."
Her expression changed.
Not anger.
Fear.
Real fear.
That was the first honest emotion I had ever seen from her.
"You don't understand what you're looking at."
I stared at her.
"Then explain it."
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because explanations only worked when people still believed you.
And I didn't.
Not anymore.
My father moved closer.
"Tess, we need to leave."
I nodded.
For once, I didn't argue.
Not because I needed him to protect me.
Because I needed answers.
And staying in this house with these people would only give them more chances to control the story.
I walked toward the door.
Hunter followed.
"Tess, wait."
I stopped.
But I didn't turn around.
"What?"
His voice softened.
"I can explain."
I closed my eyes.
That sentence again.
Everyone always wanted to explain after the damage was done.
"When were you going to tell me?"
Silence.
"When were you going to tell me that you knew my identity?"
Silence.
"When were you going to tell me that your family had been trying to connect with mine for years?"
Still silence.
I turned around.
"Answer one question, Hunter."
He looked at me.
"Did you marry me because you loved me?"
His face changed.
I hated that I still cared about the answer.
I hated that some part of me still wanted him to say the right thing.
"I did love you."
Past tense.
I noticed.
So did he.
His expression changed.
But it was too late.
Because the words were already out.
I nodded slowly.
"Thank you."
He looked confused.
"For what?"
"For finally being honest."
I walked away.
Outside the mansion, my father's driver was waiting.
I got inside without looking back.
But before the door closed, I saw Hunter standing in the entrance.
Alone.
For the first time since I met him, he looked like someone who had lost control.
I wanted to feel satisfied.
I didn't.
Because losing someone you loved never felt like winning.
The car moved through the city.
For several minutes, neither my father nor I spoke.
Then he said:
"You hate me."
I looked out the window.
"No."
He looked surprised.
"I thought you did."
"I was angry with you."
I paused.
"There's a difference."
My father nodded.
"I deserved that."
I looked at him.
That was something I never expected to hear.
Richard Morgan admitting he was wrong.
The man who built an empire.
The man who negotiated with people twice his size.
The man who never apologized.
"I should have told you everything about Daniel."
I turned toward him.
"Yes."
He looked down.
"My brother discovered that the Blake family had financial problems."
"You knew?"
"Yes."
"And you still let me marry Hunter?"
His silence returned.
That hurt.
Because I needed him to say no.
I needed him to tell me he had tried to stop it.
But he didn't.
Finally, he said:
"I wanted to believe Hunter was different."
I laughed quietly.
"So did I."
My father looked at me.
"The day you told me you were getting married, I hired someone to investigate."
I looked at him.
"What did they find?"
He hesitated.
That scared me.
"Tell me."
He took a breath.
"They found that Hunter had been researching Apex Capital Partners for months."
I felt my stomach drop.
"Before he knew me?"
"Yes."
The car became silent.
I looked down at my hands.
The same hands that had held his on our wedding day.
The same hands that had touched his face and believed every promise.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
My father's answer was quiet.
"Because you were happy."
I looked at him.
"That isn't your decision to make."
"I know."
"And you let me walk into this."
"I know."
The honesty hurt more than excuses.
Because there was no one left to blame.
Everyone had made choices.
Everyone had hidden something.
And I was the only person who entered the marriage believing it was real.
My father took out his phone.
"There is one more thing."
I sighed.
"Of course there is."
He showed me a message.
From his legal team.
The subject line made my heart stop.
"Emergency Review: Morgan Family Trust Activity."
I opened it.
The report was from the previous night.
Someone had attempted to access my inheritance account again.
But this time, they succeeded.
My breathing stopped.
"What?"
My father looked at me.
"The security system was bypassed."
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Or because he didn't want to tell me yet.
I kept reading.
A transfer had been initiated.
Not completed.
But initiated.
The amount was enormous.
Ten million dollars.
And the authorization code used...
Was connected to my personal information.
Someone had stolen my identity.
Not my public identity.
My real one.
The one only a few people knew.
I looked at my father.
"Who has access?"
He stared out the window.
"Only family."
The word felt heavier than anything else.
Family.
The people who were supposed to protect you.
The people who knew where to hurt you.
My phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
There was no text.
Only a photograph.
A photograph from inside Apex Capital Partners headquarters.
Taken minutes earlier.
I zoomed in.
And my blood went cold.
Standing in front of my father's office door was Hunter.
But he was not alone.
The person beside him was holding a keycard with my name on it.
Then another message appeared.
May you like
Three words.
"He came back."
