Chapter 9: The Truth Marcus Was Afraid Of
The photograph stayed on my screen.
My house.
Taken from outside.
A message underneath.
*We need to talk about Lily.*
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything.
Not Daniel.
Not Clara.
Not even my own thoughts.
All I saw was the picture.
The angle.
The distance.
The fact that someone had been close enough to take it.
Close enough to watch.
Close enough to know where I was.
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
“Emma.””
I handed him the phone.
His expression changed the second he saw it.
“He sent this now?””
“Yes.””
“Did he say anything else?””
“No.””
Daniel looked toward the windows.
“Security.””
Two words.
One command.
Within seconds, the calm atmosphere of my father’s old house changed.
Doors were checked.
The property was secured.
Every entrance was monitored.
And somehow, that made everything feel more real.
Marcus wasn’t just trying to regain control of a company.
He was trying to regain control of the story.
And now Lily was part of that story.
I walked to the crib.
My daughter was sleeping.
Her tiny chest moved gently with every breath.
She had no idea that adults were fighting over things she had never asked for.
Money.
Power.
Legacy.
I touched her hand.
“No one gets to use you.””
My voice was barely above a whisper.
“No one.””
Daniel returned a few minutes later.
“He’s gone.””
“Gone?””
“Whoever took the photo is no longer on the property.””
I looked at him.
“Whoever?””
Daniel’s face remained serious.
“We don’t know if it was Marcus.””
I remembered his message.
“Then why send it?””
“To make you react.””
I hated how much sense that made.
Marcus always knew exactly where to push.
He knew my fears.
My weaknesses.
My heart.
Because once, he had been the person I trusted most.
My phone rang.
Marcus.
I stared at the screen.
Daniel watched me.
“You don’t have to answer.””
I did anyway.
Because I needed answers.
“Hello.””
Silence.
Then his voice.
“Emma.””
The sound of it still affected me.
I hated that.
I hated that after everything, some part of me still remembered the man who used to sing badly while cooking breakfast.
The man who danced with me in empty hotel rooms.
The man who cried when we heard Lily’s heartbeat.
But memories were dangerous.
Sometimes they protected the person who hurt you.
“What do you want?””
His breathing changed.
“You’re angry.””
“Yes.””
“Good.””
I frowned.
“Good?””
“Yes.””
A pause.
“Because anger means you’re listening.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was already recording.
“Talk.””
Marcus exhaled.
“I know you think I’m the villain.””
I almost laughed.
“You cheated on me three days after I gave birth.””
“I know.””
“You threw me out.””
“I know.””
“You threatened my access to my own home.””
“I know.””
His voice cracked slightly.
That almost surprised me.
Almost.
“Then what exactly do you want me to think?””
Silence.
Then:
“That I made mistakes.””
I closed my eyes.
“Mistakes?””
“Yes.””
“Marcus, you don’t get to call this a mistake.””
“I know.””
The answer was immediate.
Too immediate.
It made me pause.
“You know?””
“Yes.””
His voice lowered.
“I know what I did.””
The honesty was unsettling.
“Then why?””
A long silence.
Then he said:
“Because I found out Richard was moving against me.””
I frowned.
“Your uncle?””
“Yes.””
“And that made you betray me?””
“No.””
His voice became sharper.
“That made me panic.””
I didn’t respond.
He continued.
“Three months ago, Richard found out about Clara.””
My grip tightened.
“What?””
“He knew she existed.””
Daniel looked at me.
I put the phone on speaker.
Marcus continued.
“He knew about the second heir. He knew about the trust. He knew if he could control Clara, he could challenge everything.””
I asked:
“How?””
“Because Clara had the missing piece.””
“The recording?””
“Yes.””
I looked at Daniel.
Marcus knew.
He knew more than he admitted.
“How long have you known about Clara?””
Silence.
Too long.
“Marcus.””
“Since before our wedding.””
The words hurt.
Even though I expected them.
“Before?””
“Yes.””
“Then everything was a lie.””
“No.””
His voice became desperate.
“No, Emma.””
“Don’t.””
“Listen to me.””
“I listened for eight years.””
My voice shook.
“I listened while you told me you loved me. I listened while you built a life with me. I listened while you made me believe I was your partner.””
A pause.
“Was any of it real?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
And that silence hurt more than anything.
Finally:
“Yes.””
I laughed softly.
“Which part?””
“All of it.””
“Then why did you investigate my family?””
“Because I was afraid.””
I froze.
“Of what?””
“That I would never be enough.””
The answer was not what I expected.
Marcus continued.
“Your father saw through me from the beginning.””
I looked at the photograph of my father.
“He knew.””
“Yes.””
“And you hated him.””
“No.””
Marcus sounded exhausted.
“I hated that he was right.””
The honesty was painful.
Because it reminded me that people were rarely simple.
Marcus was not a stranger.
He was a person who had made terrible choices.
And that somehow made everything harder.
“Why Vanessa?””
Silence.
“Marcus.””
“I wanted something easy.””
The words cut.
“What does that mean?””
“She didn’t know anything.””
I stared.
“She didn’t know about the trust.””
“No.””
“She didn’t know about Clara.””
“No.””
“She didn’t know about your family.””
“No.””
I understood.
Vanessa wasn’t chosen because she was better.
She was chosen because she was unaware.
Because she didn’t challenge him.
Because she didn’t see the parts of him he wanted hidden.
“That doesn’t make it better.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
My voice became quiet.
“You lost me because you wanted a life where nobody could see who you really were.””
Silence.
Then Marcus said:
“Emma, Richard is coming for Lily.””
Everything stopped.
“What?””
“He knows about the succession clause.””
My body went cold.
“You’re lying.””
“I’m not.””
“Why should I believe you?””
“Because I’m the only person who knows how dangerous he is.””
I looked at Daniel.
His expression was unreadable.
“Where are you?””
Marcus hesitated.
“At the company.””
“Why?””
“Because I’m trying to stop him.””
I almost laughed.
“After everything?””
“Yes.””
His voice broke.
“After everything.””
A long silence followed.
Then:
“Emma, I know I don’t deserve your trust.””
That sentence surprised me.
“I know I destroyed the one thing I had that mattered.””
I looked down at Lily.
“But if Richard gets access to that trust, he won’t just take money.””
My heart pounded.
“What will he take?””
Marcus whispered:
“Everything.””
The call ended.
Not by me.
By him.
I stared at the phone.
Daniel approached.
“Do you believe him?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know.
That was the worst part.
After everything Marcus had done, the truth was still complicated.
Daniel looked toward the documents.
“There is something we haven’t considered.””
“What?””
“Why Richard waited.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“If he knew about Clara three years ago, if he knew about the trust, why didn’t he act sooner?””
I thought about it.
Then I understood.
“Because he needed Marcus.””
Daniel nodded.
“Exactly.””
“Marcus was his way inside.””
“Yes.””
“And when Marcus stopped being useful…”
“Richard moved against him.””
I looked at my phone.
At the man who had broken my heart.
The man who might also be warning me.
Then Clara called.
I answered immediately.
“Emma.””
Her voice sounded frightened.
“Where are you?””
“At my father’s estate.””
“Leave.””
The urgency made me stand.
“What?””
“Leave now.””
“Why?””
“Because I found the original recording.””
My heart raced.
“What does it say?””
Silence.
Then Clara whispered:
“It proves Marcus wasn’t the person your father was protecting you from.””
I froze.
“Then who?””
A sound came through the phone.
A door closing.
Clara’s breathing changed.
“Emma…”
“What?””
“The person your father feared most…”
The line crackled.
Then she said:
“Was someone already inside your family.””
The call disconnected.
At the same moment, Daniel’s security alarm went off.
A red light flashed above the door.
Someone had entered the estate.
Daniel looked at the monitor.
His face changed.
“Emma.””
I stepped closer.
“What?””
He turned the screen toward me.
The camera showed the person standing in the hallway.
Someone I recognized.
Someone I never expected to see.
May you like
My mother.
But my mother had been dead for six years.
