Chapter 9: The Truth Brielle Never Knew
The next morning, none of us slept.
The police had taken Marcus’s statement.
Lawyers were contacted.
The company investigation began.
But none of that mattered as much as the question sitting in the room.
What did Marcus mean?
What did my mother know about Brielle?
Brielle sat across from me at the kitchen table.
For once, she looked small.
Not powerful.
Not cruel.
Just scared.
“I need to tell you something.””
I looked at her.
“Okay.””
She took a deep breath.
“When Mom married Dad, I thought everything would finally be perfect.””
I stayed quiet.
“I was young. I wanted a family.””
Her fingers tightened around her coffee cup.
“But I always felt like I didn’t belong.””
I understood that feeling more than I wanted to admit.
“Brielle…”
She shook her head.
“Let me finish.””
She looked down.
“Marcus found me after Dad and Mom got married. He told me my life was unfair. He told me Emily would always come first.””
My chest tightened.
“He used you.””
She nodded.
“I know that now.””
She wiped her eyes.
“But there’s something else.””
She reached into her pocket.
And placed something on the table.
An old photograph.
I picked it up.
It was my mother.
And Brielle.
Together.
My hands froze.
“I don’t understand.””
Brielle whispered.
“She knew me before Dad married her.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
“She met my mother.””
The room went silent.
Brielle explained.
Years earlier, before my father knew about Brielle, my mother had met Brielle’s biological mother through a charity event.
They had become friends.
When Brielle’s mother became sick, my mother promised she would help.
She promised she would never let Brielle feel abandoned.
My mother hadn’t just accepted Brielle.
She had chosen her.
“She wanted you to know you had a sister,” Brielle said.
I looked at the photograph again.
“So why didn’t you tell me?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because Marcus told me the opposite.””
She swallowed.
“He told me your mother never wanted me.””
My heart broke.
Because the entire war between us had been built on a lie.
A lie designed by someone who wanted us divided.
My father walked into the kitchen.
He had heard everything.
He looked at Brielle.
“Why didn’t you ask me?””
She cried.
“Because I thought you would choose Emily.””
My father sat down.
“Brielle.””
She looked up.
“You were never competing with her.””
That was the first time I saw Brielle truly break.
Not the fake tears.
Not the dramatic acting.
Real regret.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at the girl who had destroyed my graduation dress.
The girl who had tried to steal my moment.
And somehow, I saw someone who had been manipulated for years.
But forgiveness wasn’t something that happened in one day.
“I don’t know if I can forget what happened.””
She nodded.
“I understand.””
“But…”
I looked at her.
“We can start with the truth.””
A small tear rolled down her cheek.
Then my father’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What?””
He stood up.
“No. That’s impossible.””
I looked at him.
“What happened?””
He slowly lowered the phone.
“The company investigation found another person involved.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
My father looked at Brielle.
Then me.
And said a name.
May you like
A name that made both of us freeze.
“My mother.””
