Chapter 9: The Man My Mother Trusted Most
The message stared back at me.
*The person she feared was Mark.*
For a few seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
The world had already changed once that day.
Then twice.
Then three times.
Richard had returned.
The money had been hidden.
My mother had left warnings.
Someone had been watching.
And now the man I trusted most was the person someone claimed my mother feared.
I looked at Mark.
He was standing completely still.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Just shocked.
Like those words had cut him deeper than they had cut me.
“Mark…”
He looked at me.
And the pain in his eyes scared me.
Because it wasn’t the look of someone caught.
It was the look of someone who had just been reminded of something he had spent years trying to forget.
“Emily, I can explain.””
My heart sank.
Those words.
Everyone had said those words.
Richard.
Mark.
Everyone with a secret.
“Then explain.””
The room was silent.
Daniel stood beside me, watching carefully.
Not accusing.
Not defending.
Just listening.
Mark slowly sat back down.
“I knew this day might come.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
He rubbed his hands together.
A nervous habit I had seen a thousand times when I was a child.
“When your mother changed her will, she was afraid.””
My chest tightened.
“Afraid of you?””
Mark looked down.
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
But it wasn’t enough.
“Then why would someone send me that?””
“I don’t know.””
“Do you know Thomas?””
“Yes.””
“Do you know why he thinks you’re dangerous?””
Mark closed his eyes.
“I know why he might think that.””
My stomach dropped.
“Might?””
He looked at me.
“Emily, there are things I never told you because I was trying to protect you.””
I almost laughed.
Everyone said that.
Protect you.
Protect you.
Protect you.
But somehow, protection had become another word for keeping me in the dark.
“I don’t need protection anymore.””
Mark nodded slowly.
“I know.””
“Then tell me.””
He took a deep breath.
“Your mother and I had a disagreement before she died.””
I froze.
“You?””
“Yes.””
“What kind of disagreement?””
“About the company.””
I looked at the photograph of my mother and Thomas.
“What happened?””
Mark looked toward the empty reception hall.
“The company was growing quickly. Investors wanted control. People around your mother started changing.””
“Changing how?””
“Becoming more interested in money than people.””
I waited.
“And?””
“Your mother wanted to protect her shares.””
“From who?””
Mark’s voice became quieter.
“From everyone.””
That answer made no sense.
“Everyone?””
He nodded.
“She trusted very few people by the end.””
I stared at him.
“But she trusted you.””
“Yes.””
“Then why would she fear you?””
Mark looked away.
“Because I made a choice she didn’t agree with.””
The room became colder.
“What choice?””
He didn’t answer.
“Mark.””
Finally, he whispered:
“I sold my shares.””
My eyes widened.
“What?””
“Not yours.””
He quickly added.
“Never yours.””
“But why?””
“Because we needed money.””
“For what?””
Mark’s face tightened.
“To save the company.””
I blinked.
“You sold your own shares to save something you didn’t own?””
He nodded.
“Your mother didn’t want me to.””
“Why?””
“Because she thought I was sacrificing too much.””
A strange feeling moved through me.
Because that sounded like Mark.
The man who gave everything.
The man who never considered the cost to himself.
But there was still something missing.
“Thomas knows about this?””
“Yes.””
“Richard knows?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did Richard make it sound like you stole my money?””
Mark looked tired.
“Because he doesn’t know the whole story.””
“Do you?””
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Mark looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw hurt.
Not anger.
Hurt.
“After twenty-one years, you still have to ask?””
My eyes filled.
Immediately, I regretted it.
But I couldn’t take it back.
“I’m sorry.””
He looked down.
“I understand.””
“No, you don’t.””
My voice broke.
“You’re the one person I never thought I’d have to question.””
Mark swallowed.
“And I’m sorry that I gave you a reason to.””
That hurt more.
Because he wasn’t fighting.
He wasn’t trying to convince me.
He was accepting my pain.
Like he always had.
The next morning, I sat in my childhood home.
The house I thought I had lost.
The house I learned was mine.
The house filled with secrets.
The walls looked exactly the same.
The same wooden floors.
The same staircase.
The same small mark near the kitchen where I dropped a glass when I was eight.
But everything felt different.
Daniel sat beside me on the couch.
“You okay?””
I stared at the old family photos.
“I don’t know what okay means anymore.””
He was quiet.
Then he said:
“You don’t have to decide who’s right today.””
I looked at him.
“But I need the truth.””
“Yes.””
He nodded.
“But the truth is usually messy.””
I looked at the photo of my mother.
“I spent my whole life thinking my biggest question was why my father left.””
Daniel waited.
“Now I have a hundred more.””
Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door.
My heart jumped.
Daniel stood immediately.
“I’ll check.””
But I already knew.
Somehow.
I knew.
When Daniel opened the door, Thomas was standing outside.
The man from the photograph.
He was older now.
Gray hair.
Expensive coat.
Calm expression.
The kind of person who looked like he was always prepared.
“Emily?””
I stepped closer.
“Who are you?””
He looked at me carefully.
Then glanced inside the house.
“This is where your mother raised you.””
It wasn’t a question.
I felt uneasy.
“How do you know that?””
“Because I helped her buy it.””
My eyes narrowed.
“You worked with my mother.””
“Yes.””
“Why did you message me?””
He looked serious.
“Because I ran out of time.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“What does that mean?””
Thomas ignored him.
He looked at me.
“Your mother didn’t just change her will.””
I felt a familiar chill.
“What did she do?””
“She created a backup.””
“A backup?””
“In case something happened.””
“What kind of something?””
Thomas looked toward the hallway.
Then lowered his voice.
“She knew someone would try to take control of your inheritance.””
My heart pounded.
“Richard?””
Thomas hesitated.
“No.””
The answer shocked me.
“Then who?””
He looked at me.
And said the one thing I never expected.
“Your mother’s biggest fear wasn’t losing money.””
A pause.
“It was losing you.””
I swallowed.
“What are you saying?””
Thomas reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small flash drive.
“I was supposed to give this to you when you turned twenty-seven.””
My birthday.
The age I was now.
“How did you know I turned twenty-seven?””
Thomas looked sad.
“Because your mother planned everything around this moment.””
He placed the flash drive in my hand.
“There’s a video on it.””
I stared at the tiny device.
“A video?””
“Yes.””
“From my mother?””
Thomas nodded.
“She recorded it three days before she died.””
My fingers tightened around it.
“What does she say?””
Thomas looked toward the house.
Then back at me.
“She tells you who betrayed her.””
My breath stopped.
“Who?””
Thomas’s expression turned serious.
“Watch it.””
I looked at the flash drive.
Then at Thomas.
“Why won’t you tell me?””
His answer was quiet.
“Because the person she named is someone you love.””
The room went silent.
And then my phone buzzed.
A new message.
From Richard.
Just five words.
*You need to hear my side.*
Underneath was a video attachment.
May you like
The title made my blood run cold.
*The Night Mark Lied.*
