Chapter 3: The Sister’s Betrayal
“Emma?””
The name escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
Gregory watched my reaction.
That was when I understood.
He wasn’t just trying to hurt me.
He was measuring me.
Testing how much damage he could create.
“My sister has nothing to do with this,” I said.
Gregory leaned against the counter.
“You still believe that?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because she’s my sister.””
He laughed quietly.
“That’s adorable.””
The word made my blood run cold.
Gregory had discovered something.
Something he thought gave him power.
But he didn’t understand my family.
Emma and I were complicated.
We fought.
We disagreed.
We had spent years comparing ourselves.
But when the world turned against one of us, the other always showed up.
At least…
I thought we did.
I grabbed my coat.
“I’m going to talk to her.””
Gregory stepped in front of the door.
“No.””
I stopped.
“Move.””
“You don’t want to do that.””
“Move.””
His expression became serious.
“You have no idea what you’re walking into.””
I looked at him.
“And you do?””
“Yes.””
That answer bothered me.
Not because it was confident.
Because it sounded prepared.
I pushed past him.
“Get out of my way.””
For a second, I thought he would stop me.
Instead, he whispered:
“Ask her about the money.””
I froze.
“What money?””
Gregory smiled.
“Now you’re interested.””
I turned around.
“What money?””
He walked back toward the kitchen.
“The money your father left behind.””
My chest tightened.
Nobody knew about that.
Nobody.
After my father died, there was a legal battle over his estate.
The amount involved was never made public.
My mother told everyone there was nothing left.
But I knew there was.
A hidden account.
A trust.
Something my father created before his death.
Something I had spent years trying to locate.
Because the documents disappeared.
“Where did you hear that?”” I asked.
Gregory didn’t answer.
Instead, he picked up his coffee.
“You should ask Emma.””
I left.
Not because I believed him.
Because I needed to know why he wanted me to.
Emma lived thirty minutes away.
When she opened the door, her smile disappeared the second she saw my face.
“What happened?””
I stepped inside.
“We need to talk.””
She closed the door.
“Is this about Gregory?””
My heart sank.
“You know?””
Emma looked away.
That was enough.
“Emma.””
She sighed.
“I didn’t want you finding out this way.””
The room suddenly felt smaller.
“What did you do?””
She looked at me.
And for the first time in my life…
my sister looked guilty.
“I made a mistake.””
“What kind of mistake?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“The kind that doesn’t disappear.””
I waited.
Finally, she whispered:
“I met Gregory before you did.””
Everything went silent.
“What?””
Emma looked down.
“We didn’t date.””
“Then what?””
She hesitated.
And that hesitation told me everything.
“Emma.””
She swallowed.
“He came to me because he wanted information about you.””
My hands went cold.
“How long?””
She didn’t answer.
“How long have you known him?””
“Six months.””
Six months.
My marriage lasted three days.
But Gregory’s plan had started half a year ago.
I stepped back.
“Why?””
Emma started crying.
“I was angry at you.””
The words hurt more than I expected.
“Angry?””
“You always had everything together. The career. The apartment. The confidence.””
I stared at her.
“You helped him.””
“I didn’t know what he was going to do.””
“Then why help him?””
Her voice broke.
“Because he promised he could fix what I lost.””
I looked at my sister.
The person I trusted most.
And suddenly, the entire foundation of my marriage collapsed.
Then Emma reached into a drawer.
She pulled out a folder.
“I kept this because I knew one day you would need it.””
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A document.
And a signature.
Gregory’s signature.
But the date on the paper was impossible.
May you like
Because it was signed…
before our first date.
