Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Knew Before Everyone Else
The woman standing in the doorway didn’t look surprised.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Everyone else looked confused.
She looked prepared.
“Victoria,” Ethan said.
Her name came out like a warning.
Victoria Hale stepped into the room wearing a gray business suit, holding a thin folder against her chest.
She had worked beside Ethan for seven years.
She knew his schedule.
His passwords.
His business secrets.
And apparently, mine.
“What are you doing here?” Ethan asked.
Victoria glanced at Rose.
Then at me.
“I heard there was a misunderstanding.”
I almost smiled.
A misunderstanding.
That was what powerful people called destruction when they were afraid of the consequences.
“There is no misunderstanding,” I said.
Victoria looked at Ethan.
“You need to control this before it gets worse.”
The words were subtle.
But they weren’t meant for me.
They were meant as a threat.
Ethan stood straighter.
“Leave.”
Victoria didn’t move.
“Are you sure?”
The room became tense.
Because Ethan was used to people obeying him.
Victoria wasn’t.
She placed the folder on the table.
“I thought you should see what Emma found.”
My heart stopped.
“What is that?”
Victoria looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something unexpected.
Guilt.
“I didn’t know how far they would take it.”
Ethan grabbed the folder.
Inside were printed emails.
Messages between someone inside his company and an unknown person.
My name appeared several times.
So did Rose’s.
The dates were from before I gave birth.
Someone had been tracking me.
Someone had known about my daughter before Ethan ever saw her.
Ethan flipped through the pages faster.
Then he stopped.
Because one sentence made his face go completely pale.
“I was told the baby would never reach him.”
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Ethan.
He looked at Victoria.
And I realized the divorce hearing was never about ending a marriage.
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It was about hiding a crime.
📖 Chapter 5 uncovers the first attempt to control Emma’s story and the person who wanted Rose kept away from Ethan forever. 👇
