Chapter 4: The Truth About Marcus
I didn’t sleep.
I sat on the floor of my bedroom until sunrise, surrounded by papers that belonged to a life I no longer recognized.
The letter from my mother was only one page.
But one page was enough to destroy everything.
Marcus,
You promised this would end before Nia returned.
You promised you would tell her yourself.
I can’t keep lying to my daughter.
She deserves the truth.
I read those sentences again and again.
Not because I didn’t understand.
Because I didn’t want to.
My mother knew.
She knew Marcus was hiding something.
And she still let me walk into her house smiling.
My phone rang at 7:12 a.m.
Marcus.
I answered immediately.
“Come over.””
A pause.
“Nia—”
“Come over.””
He arrived twenty minutes later.
He looked nervous.
Good.
He entered slowly.
The same man who used to walk into this apartment like he owned the future.
Now he looked like a guest.
I placed the letter on the table.
His face went pale.
“Where did you get that?””
“You mean the letter where my mother begged you to tell me the truth?””
He closed his eyes.
“Nia.””
“No.””
I pointed at the papers.
“Start talking.””
He sat down.
For once, he didn’t try to control the conversation.
“Elena and I were together for five years.””
I stayed silent.
“We were engaged.””
“Why did you leave?””
He looked at his hands.
“Because I wasn’t happy.””
I laughed.
“You weren’t happy?””
He looked up.
“I was young.””
“So you destroyed her life?””
“No.””
“You destroyed mine.””
He looked away.
“Nia, I never planned for this.””
“That sentence means nothing.””
I walked toward the window.
“You always say things happened to you.””
He frowned.
“What?””
“You never choose anything.””
Silence.
Then he whispered:
“Elena found out she was pregnant after we broke up.””
I turned.
“So you ran.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
He looked angry now.
“She wanted a family I couldn’t give her.””
“And you gave one to my mother?””
His anger disappeared.
That was the truth.
The one thing he couldn’t fight.
“I was confused.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You were selfish.””
He didn’t deny it.
The doorbell rang.
Both of us froze.
I wasn’t expecting anyone.
Marcus looked toward the door.
Then his face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
I walked over and opened it.
A woman stood there.
She was pregnant.
Her hand rested over her stomach.
She looked at me.
Then at Marcus.
“Elena,” he whispered.
She gave a small, sad smile.
“I guess she finally knows.””
My heart pounded.
“Why are you here?””
Elena looked at me.
Not with anger.
Not with jealousy.
With pity.
And somehow that was worse.
“Because Marcus was never going to tell you the biggest part.””
I looked at him.
“What biggest part?””
Elena stepped inside.
“He didn’t just cheat on you.””
Marcus stood.
“Elena, stop.””
She ignored him.
“He used your company.””
My blood went cold.
“What?””
Elena looked at the papers on the table.
“Did he tell you why he needed access to your event business accounts?””
I stared at Marcus.
He didn’t move.
“He said he was helping with expansion.””
Elena nodded slowly.
“He was paying off his debts.””
The room spun.
“No.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“Nia, listen.””
I backed away.
“How much?””
He said nothing.
“How much money did you take from me?””
His silence answered.
Elena whispered:
“Almost two hundred thousand dollars.””
I looked at Marcus.
The man I planned to marry.
The man who held me when my father died.
The man I defended when people questioned him.
He wasn’t standing in front of me because he was sorry.
He was standing there because he got caught.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from my mother.
One sentence.
*Nia, don’t trust Elena. She’s not telling you everything.*
I looked from the message to the pregnant woman standing in my home.
And I realized something.
Everyone had a secret.
May you like
But only one person knew the whole story.
And she was the woman who raised me.
