Chapter 9: The Woman Behind the Curtain
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
The name stayed in the air between me and Daniel.
Corinne Hale.
Not Weston.
Not the man who had lied to me.
Not the man who had blocked the door.
Corinne.
The woman who had poured me tea when I first met her.
The woman who had called me "the daughter she never had.""
The woman who had stood outside my house pretending to help me.
The woman who had known the truth for years.
"Daniel.""
My voice was barely audible.
"Are you sure?""
"I wish I wasn't.""
I looked at Weston.
He was still standing outside my door.
Watching my expression change.
He knew something was wrong.
"How?""
I asked.
Daniel answered carefully.
"The missing page contains correspondence between your father and his attorney.""
"And?""
"Your father wrote that he was concerned about someone close to the Hale family.""
I swallowed.
"Corinne.""
"Yes.""
"Why?""
"Because he believed she had access to information and resources she shouldn't have had.""
I looked at the man standing in front of me.
Weston.
The person I thought was the villain.
The person I thought had planned everything.
But now the story was changing again.
"What did my father write?""
Daniel paused.
"Are you sure you want to hear this right now?""
I looked at Weston.
Then at the hallway behind me.
At the home where I had built my life.
"Yes.""
Daniel continued.
"He wrote that Corinne had become obsessed with controlling the trust.""
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
The ATM card.
The wedding.
The pressure.
The constant comments about what I should spend.
She wasn't just trying to help Weston.
She was trying to reach something bigger.
"Did Weston know?""
"I don't know.""
I looked at him.
That was the question that mattered.
Because if Weston knew, then he was part of it.
If he didn't...
Then I had to face something complicated.
That maybe the person I hated most was not the only person responsible.
"I'll call you back.""
I ended the call.
Weston looked at me.
"What happened?""
I studied him.
For the first time, I wasn't looking at the man who betrayed me.
I was looking at someone who might have been used too.
"I know about Corinne.""
His face changed.
"What about her?""
"Did you know she was named as a threat in my father's documents?""
He froze.
That was answer enough.
"You didn't know.""
He shook his head slowly.
"No.""
I believed him.
I hated that I did.
Because believing him made everything harder.
"What did your mother tell you about the trust?""
Weston looked down.
"Not much.""
"Try again.""
He sighed.
"She told me your father wanted me to protect you.""
"That's it?""
"Yes.""
"She never told you about the conditions?""
"No.""
"She never told you my approval was required?""
"No.""
I watched his face carefully.
"And the marriage agreement?""
His eyes lowered.
"I knew about it.""
My chest tightened.
"From who?""
"My mother.""
There it was.
The truth.
Again.
"She gave it to you?""
"Yes.""
"When?""
"Two weeks before I proposed.""
I stepped back.
Two weeks before he proposed.
The timeline I had never questioned.
The romantic surprise.
The dinner.
The ring.
The future plans.
All of it suddenly had another meaning.
"Did you propose because of the trust?""
He looked at me.
And for a moment, I saw shame.
"I don't know.""
The honesty hurt more than a lie.
"You don't know?""
"I loved you before I knew everything.""
"But?""
He swallowed.
"But after I knew, I convinced myself it didn't matter.""
I looked away.
Because that was the most dangerous kind of betrayal.
Not someone who didn't care.
Someone who cared and still chose wrong.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because I was afraid.""
"Of what?""
"That if you knew, you'd never look at me the same way.""
I laughed softly.
"You were right.""
He closed his eyes.
I expected anger.
Defensiveness.
Excuses.
Instead, he whispered:
"I know.""
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked:
"What happened to your father?""
Weston looked surprised.
"My father?""
"Your father knew about all this.""
He nodded.
"He did.""
"Did he trust Corinne?""
Weston's expression changed.
"My father trusted nobody.""
"Why?""
He leaned against the wall.
"Because he knew how my mother operated.""
I stared.
"What does that mean?""
He looked exhausted.
"It means my mother has always believed control is the same thing as love.""
The sentence felt familiar.
Because I had heard it in different forms for months.
She called it protection.
She called it family.
She called it responsibility.
But underneath it was always the same thing.
Control.
"Weston.""
He looked at me.
"Where is your mother now?""
His face went pale.
"I don't know.""
That surprised me.
"What?""
"She left yesterday.""
"After she realized I knew?""
He nodded.
"She took documents from her office.""
My stomach tightened.
"Which documents?""
"I don't know.""
I immediately called Daniel.
He answered quickly.
"Did you find something?""
"Daniel, Corinne left.""
A pause.
"What?""
"Weston says she took documents.""
Daniel went quiet.
Then:
"Stay where you are.""
"Why?""
"Because I think we need to move faster.""
Two hours later, Daniel arrived with another attorney.
Not because I needed more legal advice.
Because we had finally reached the point where the truth needed witnesses.
They reviewed everything.
The trust.
The agreement.
The recordings.
The financial records.
And slowly, the picture became clearer.
Corinne had not created the trap.
She had inherited it.
The trust had existed before she ever touched it.
But over the years, she had manipulated the people around it.
Especially Weston.
Daniel placed a document on the table.
"This is the important part.""
I looked down.
"What is it?""
"A letter from your father to Corinne.""
I frowned.
"Another letter?""
"Yes.""
"When did he write it?""
"Three months before he died.""
I opened it.
The handwriting looked weaker this time.
But the words were clear.
*Corinne,*
*I know you believe you are helping your son. But protecting him from consequences will destroy him.*
I continued.
*Ava deserves honesty. My granddaughter deserves safety. Neither can exist if you continue hiding the truth.*
My hands tightened.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
*If you attempt to force a marriage between Ava and Weston for access to the trust, I will remove every right connected to the Hale family.*
I stopped.
Because that meant one thing.
My father had anticipated exactly what happened.
The wedding.
The pressure.
The money demands.
The entire plan.
He had seen it coming.
Daniel pointed to another section.
"Read that.""
I looked.
*"The only person who can legally override this protection is Ava herself. If she willingly signs away her rights, no legal barrier remains.""*
I felt sick.
The entire plan wasn't to steal the money.
Not directly.
It was to make me surrender it.
To make me choose it.
To make me sign.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
One sentence.
*You think you know the truth, but your father never told you why he really left.*
My heart stopped.
Another message appeared.
*Meet me if you want to know what Richard Bennett was hiding.*
I looked at Daniel.
"Who is it?""
He checked the number.
His expression changed.
"I don't know.""
Then another message appeared.
A photo.
I opened it.
My blood went cold.
It was my father.
Alive.
Standing outside a building.
But the date on the photo was impossible.
Because it was taken six months after everyone said he died.
I stared at the screen.
My father.
Alive.
Or someone pretending to be him.
Daniel looked at me.
"Ava...""
I couldn't breathe.
Because after everything I had uncovered, one question remained.
If my father was alive...
May you like
Then who had been signing documents in his name?
And why had everyone spent years letting me believe he was gone?
