Chapter 4: The Secret He Buried With Our Marriage
The question stayed in the air.
Nobody moved.
Nobody whispered.
Even the musicians in the corner had stopped pretending to play.
“Did you know my father was alive when you left me?””
I watched Derrick’s face.
The man who once knew every expression I had.
The man who could tell when I was upset from the way I closed a cabinet door.
The man who used to hold my hand under restaurant tables.
Now he couldn’t even look me in the eyes.
And that was my answer.
I didn’t need him to speak.
But I needed him to say it.
“Derrick.””
My voice was quieter this time.
“Tell me the truth.””
He swallowed.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Derrick, answer her.””
He looked around the room.
At the guests.
At Harold.
At Victor.
At me.
For the first time, I saw him realize there was nowhere left to hide.
“I didn’t know he was alive.””
The room remained silent.
I studied him carefully.
Because there was something missing.
Fear.
Regret.
Guilt.
He had all of those things.
But not surprise.
“You’re lying.””
His eyes snapped toward me.
“I’m not.””
“You knew something.””
He looked away.
“That’s not the same thing.””
I felt my chest tighten.
There it was.
The half-truth.
The kind of answer Derrick always gave when he wanted to escape consequences.
Victor stepped forward.
“Then explain.””
Derrick looked at him.
“This doesn’t involve you.””
Victor’s expression didn’t change.
“It involves my wife.””
That word landed harder than Derrick expected.
My wife.
Not my ex.
Not Naomi.
Not someone from his past.
His face tightened.
Harold crossed his arms.
“Derrick, you need to tell the truth now.””
Derrick laughed bitterly.
“Everyone wants the truth today, huh?””
He looked at me.
“Funny how nobody cared when Naomi and I were struggling.””
The comment surprised me.
Not because it was true.
Because it was a distraction.
A desperate attempt to change the subject.
I shook my head.
“Don’t do that.””
“Do what?””
“Pretend you’re the victim.””
The room went quiet again.
Derrick stared at me.
“You think I don’t remember?””
His voice rose slightly.
“You think I don’t remember how hard those years were?””
I looked at him.
“I was there.””
“You weren’t the only one suffering.””
“No.””
I nodded slowly.
“I wasn’t.””
My eyes moved across the wedding hall.
“All I ever asked from you was honesty.””
Derrick looked down.
And for a moment, I remembered the man I married.
Not this man.
Not the one standing in front of me today.
The man from years ago.
The man who danced with me in our tiny apartment when we couldn’t afford a real date.
The man who promised me we would build something together.
That memory hurt.
Because it meant I knew exactly when he changed.
Or maybe…
when he showed me who he really was.
Harold opened the folder again.
“There is something else.””
Everyone looked at him.
He pulled out a document.
“This agreement was signed six years ago.””
Derrick’s face changed.
I noticed immediately.
“You recognize it.””
He didn’t answer.
Harold continued.
“This is a purchase proposal.””
Victor took the paper and read it.
Then his expression hardened.
“Derrick.””
Derrick looked at him.
Victor held up the document.
“Your company attempted to acquire Carter Financial Group.””
Derrick sighed.
“That was business.””
“No,” Victor replied.
“That was personal.””
I looked at Victor.
“What does he mean?””
Victor handed me the document.
I read the first page.
Then the second.
Then the signature.
My fingers went cold.
Because the company trying to buy my father’s business…
was Derrick’s family company.
And the person who signed the initial negotiation paperwork…
was Derrick.
My ex-husband.
My heart sank.
“You were trying to buy my father’s company?””
Derrick rubbed his face.
“Naomi, listen.””
“No.””
My voice stopped him.
“Answer the question.””
He looked at me.
“Yes.””
The honesty shocked everyone.
Even Evelyn.
“Yes,” he repeated.
“We were trying to buy it.””
“Why?””
“Because it was valuable.””
I stared at him.
“Not because you knew it was mine?””
His silence lasted too long.
That was enough.
Evelyn stepped away from him.
“You knew?””
Derrick turned.
“Evelyn—”
“You knew her family owned that company?””
“I knew there were connections.””
Her expression changed.
“You never told me.””
“It wasn’t important.””
The room reacted instantly.
A few guests gasped.
Because everyone understood.
It wasn’t important.
The same phrase people use when something matters deeply to someone else but creates inconvenience for them.
I folded the document.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Derrick looked at me.
“Because you weren’t involved anymore.””
The answer was cruel.
Simple.
Cold.
“You were my wife.””
“Ex-wife.””
The words came out instantly.
And for a second, I saw regret cross his face.
But it disappeared quickly.
I looked at him.
“You found out something about my family.””
“I didn’t know everything.””
“But you knew enough.””
He didn’t respond.
I turned toward Harold.
“When did you find out?””
Harold looked uncomfortable.
“Recently.””
“From who?””
He glanced at Victor.
Victor answered.
“From me.””
I looked at him.
“You knew?””
Victor nodded.
“I found records when I was investigating the Bennett partnership.””
“And you didn’t tell me?””
His expression softened.
“I wanted to.””
“Then why didn’t you?””
“Because Harold asked me not to.””
I turned toward Harold.
The room became colder.
“Why?””
Harold looked down.
“Because your father asked me to wait.””
I froze.
“My father?””
Harold nodded.
“Marcus contacted me before he disappeared.””
My throat tightened.
“He knew you?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Harold took a breath.
“Your father helped me years ago when my company was close to bankruptcy.””
The guests listened.
“The world knows me as a wealthy businessman,” Harold said.
“But there was a time when I almost lost everything.””
He looked at me.
“Marcus saved my company.””
I looked at the letter.
My father.
The man I thought abandoned me.
The man who apparently spent years protecting me.
“Why didn’t he come home?””
Harold’s expression changed.
And this time…
I saw sadness.
“Because he believed someone was trying to hurt you.””
My body went still.
“Who?””
Nobody answered.
Then Victor looked at Derrick.
And suddenly the entire room understood.
Derrick stepped back.
“No.””
The word came out quickly.
“No, don’t do this.””
I looked at him.
“Do what?””
“Blame me for something I didn’t do.””
“Then tell me who did.””
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because he knew.
He knew exactly what question was coming next.
Harold reached into the folder one more time.
This time, he pulled out a photograph.
He handed it to me.
I looked down.
And my hands started shaking.
It was a picture of my father.
Standing beside another person.
A person I recognized immediately.
Someone from Derrick’s past.
Someone who had been part of our marriage from the beginning.
Someone who had every reason to hide the truth.
I looked up slowly.
“Derrick…”
His face had gone completely pale.
“Who is she?””
He didn’t answer.
I turned the photograph toward him.
The woman standing beside my father smiled back from twenty years ago.
The woman who supposedly had nothing to do with my family.
The woman Derrick told me was just an old family friend.
His mother.
May you like
And written on the back of the photograph were six words:
*She knew where your father was.*
