Chapter 5 - The Person Standing Beside Me
The message on my phone contained only one name.
Nathan Reed.
I stared at the screen.
My hands became cold.
The same man who had walked into the hospital.
The same man who claimed he came to save me.
The same man who had given me evidence against Daniel.
I slowly lifted my eyes.
Nathan was still standing beside my bed.
Watching me.
Waiting.
"What did the message say?" he asked.
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know who to trust anymore.
A few hours ago, I believed my husband was the person who betrayed me.
Then I learned his mother was involved.
Then I discovered Claire had been hiding the truth.
Now the person who helped expose them was suddenly being questioned.
My entire world felt like it was built on lies.
Nathan took a step closer.
"Emily, listen to me."
I moved back slightly.
He noticed.
And stopped.
"I understand why you're afraid."
I looked at him.
"No, you don't."
My voice shook.
"You walked into my hospital room knowing everything about my life. You knew about the insurance. You knew about the recordings. You knew about the files."
I held up my phone.
"And now someone says not to trust you."
Nathan stayed silent.
That silence bothered me.
"Who are you really?"
Before Nathan could answer, Daniel laughed softly from the corner of the room.
Everyone looked at him.
He looked satisfied.
Because for the first time that night, the attention was no longer on him.
"You see?" Daniel said.
"Even she doesn't know who you are."
Nathan turned toward him.
"Be careful."
Daniel smiled.
"Why? Because the truth is uncomfortable?"
Nathan's expression hardened.
Daniel continued.
"You walked in here pretending to be her protector."
He looked at me.
"But did he tell you why he was interested in your case?"
My stomach tightened.
I looked at Nathan.
"Why?"
Nathan didn't respond immediately.
That scared me.
Daniel noticed.
"He didn't tell you."
Nathan finally spoke.
"Because I was waiting for the right time."
I felt my chest tighten.
"The right time for what?"
Nathan looked at me.
"To tell you that I knew your family before tonight."
Silence.
I stared at him.
"What family?"
Nathan looked at Daniel.
"Your father."
My breath stopped.
"My father?"
I hadn't heard that name in years.
My father had died when I was nineteen.
At least, that was what I believed.
Nathan reached into his folder.
He pulled out an old photograph.
A photograph that looked worn from years of being carried around.
He placed it on the bed.
I looked down.
And my heart nearly stopped.
It was my father.
Standing beside a younger Nathan.
I touched the photograph.
"How do you know him?"
Nathan sat down slowly.
"Because before he died, he asked me to protect you."
The room became silent.
I shook my head.
"No."
I wanted to believe him.
But I couldn't.
"My father never knew you."
Nathan looked at me sadly.
"That's what someone wanted you to believe."
Daniel suddenly became quiet.
Too quiet.
Nathan noticed.
"You knew about this."
Daniel looked away.
That small reaction was enough.
I turned toward my husband.
"Daniel?"
He didn't answer.
My voice became louder.
"Did you know my father?"
Daniel clenched his jaw.
"This isn't about him."
Nathan stood.
"Actually, it is."
He opened another document.
"Because your father's death was never investigated properly."
I felt dizzy.
"What are you saying?"
Nathan looked at me.
"I'm saying your father discovered something about this family."
My eyes moved toward Daniel.
"Your family?"
Daniel didn't respond.
Nathan continued.
"He found financial records. Hidden accounts. Transfers between companies."
He placed another paper down.
"And then, two weeks later, he died."
I couldn't speak.
My memories came rushing back.
The funeral.
The unanswered questions.
The relatives who told me to stop asking.
The way everyone avoided discussing my father's final days.
I always thought it was because grief was painful.
But maybe...
They were hiding something.
Daniel suddenly moved toward Nathan.
"Enough."
Nathan didn't move.
"You should have told her years ago."
Daniel stopped.
That sentence changed everything.
Years ago.
Not recently.
Not tonight.
Years ago.
I looked at Daniel.
"What does he mean?"
Daniel looked at me.
For a second, I saw guilt.
Then anger.
"You don't know what you're asking."
I felt tears in my eyes.
"No."
I shook my head.
"I deserve to know."
Daniel looked away.
And that hurt more than anything.
Because his silence was an answer.
Nathan opened the last file.
"This is why Daniel and Margaret were afraid of you finding out."
Inside was a copy of an old letter.
The handwriting was familiar.
My father's handwriting.
My hands trembled as I read the first line.
"Emily, if you are reading this, then I failed to protect you."
I covered my mouth.
Nathan watched me carefully.
The letter continued.
"I discovered the truth about Daniel's family. They are not who they appear to be."
My eyes filled with tears.
The next sentence made my heart stop.
"The person closest to you helped them hide everything."
I looked around the room.
At Daniel.
At Claire.
At Nathan.
At everyone.
Who was my father talking about?
Nathan took the letter from my hands.
"There is one more thing."
He pointed at the bottom of the page.
A signature.
And beneath it...
A second handwriting.
Someone had added a message after my father's death.
Three words.
I leaned closer.
And when I saw the name written there, my blood turned cold.
Because the person who added the message was someone I had trusted my entire life.
Someone standing in that hospital room...
May you like
The door suddenly opened.
And the person walked inside holding the original copy of my father's letter.
