Chapter 9: The Truth My Mother Buried
My mother didn't move.
Neither did I.
The words she had just spoken seemed to hang in the air.
I switched it.
I looked at the notebook in her hands.
“What does that mean?””
Mom lowered herself into a chair.
“I knew Charles was trying to get the original trust documents. Your father told me what he had discovered, and I knew someone inside the company was helping him.””
“Linda?””
She nodded.
“Richard suspected her, but he didn't have enough proof.””
I glanced at the laptop.
“And Nathan?””
Mom looked down.
“Your father had become suspicious of him too.””
“Then why was Nathan at Dad's office that night?””
“Because Charles asked him to deliver a document.””
“What document?””
“A revised transfer agreement.””
I felt my hands tighten.
“The one Dad tore up?””
Mom nodded.
“He refused to sign it.””
Stephanie stepped forward.
“What happened after that?””
Mom looked at her.
“Your father told Charles to leave. Nathan refused. They began arguing.””
“About what?””
“About the trust. About the company. About the fact that Richard had refused to give Charles access to the property records.””
Mom's voice trembled.
“Then Richard collapsed.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He grabbed his chest and fell against the desk.””
I felt my throat close.
“Was it a heart attack?””
Mom shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Then why did the hospital say it was?””
“Because Charles told the doctors that Richard had a history of heart problems.””
I looked at Margaret.
She was writing everything down.
“Did Dad have a history of heart problems?””
Mom shook her head.
“No.””
I closed my eyes.
For six years, I had believed my father had died from a sudden medical emergency.
Now I was learning that the people around him had controlled the story from the beginning.
Mom continued.
“David arrived shortly afterward. He checked Richard's pulse and told us he was still alive.””
“Why didn't anyone call an ambulance immediately?””
“We did.””
“Then why was Nathan carrying a briefcase?””
Mom looked at the floor.
“Because he had taken the trust documents.””
I felt anger rising.
“And you switched them?””
She nodded.
“While Charles and Nathan were arguing, I took the original documents from Nathan's briefcase and replaced them with copies.””
I stared.
“Why?””
“Because Richard had told me never to let them have the original.””
“What happened to it?””
Mom looked at me.
“I hid it.””
“Where?””
She reached into the old black notebook and opened the back cover.
A thin pocket had been sewn into the lining.
She removed a small plastic sleeve.
Inside was a folded document.
The original Wilson Legacy Trust agreement.
Margaret took it carefully.
She examined the signature, the dates, and the attached pages.
Then she looked up.
“This is the original.””
I felt a strange mixture of relief and dread.
“Does this prove Nathan tried to steal the company?””
“It proves the trust's original terms and establishes the document he attempted to remove. Combined with the other evidence, it may be extremely important.””
Stephanie looked at Mom.
“Why didn't you tell us?””
Mom began crying.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of Charles?””
“Of everyone.””
She wiped her cheeks.
“I had two daughters. One had been betrayed by the man she loved. The other was married to him. I didn't know whether telling you would save you or destroy you.””
Stephanie shook her head.
“You let me stay married to him.””
“I know.””
“You knew he was dangerous.””
“I knew he was involved in something terrible. I didn't know everything.””
Stephanie's voice broke.
“You could have warned me.””
Mom looked at her.
“I tried.””
Stephanie stared.
“What?””
“Your father warned you that night. He told you to leave Nathan.””
Stephanie lowered her eyes.
“I thought he was trying to control me.””
Mom nodded.
“He was trying to protect you.””
Stephanie covered her face.
I looked at my mother.
“What happened to Dad after he collapsed?””
She took a shaky breath.
“David called emergency services. The ambulance arrived. Charles told everyone Richard had suffered a heart attack. Nathan went with him to the hospital.””
“And you?””
“I followed in my car.””
“Did you see Dad?””
Mom nodded.
“He was unconscious.””
“Was he alive?””
“Yes.””
I felt tears sting my eyes.
“How long?””
Mom closed her eyes.
“Until early the next morning.””
The room went silent.
I remembered the call.
The hospital.
My mother crying.
The doctor telling me there had been nothing they could do.
I remembered standing beside the bed and holding my father's cold hand.
“Did Nathan know Dad was alive when he left the office?””
Mom nodded.
“Yes.””
I felt sick.
“Then why did he tell Stephanie he was already dead?””
Mom looked at me.
“Because he wanted to make sure she wouldn't ask questions.””
Stephanie began sobbing.
Mom continued.
“Your father regained consciousness briefly. He asked for me. Then he asked for you.””
I pressed my fingers against my mouth.
“What did he say?””
Mom reached for my hand.
“He said, 'Tell Olivia not to sign anything. Tell her I love her.''”
I began crying.
For six years, I had believed I had lost my father without saying goodbye.
Now I knew he had been thinking about me until the end.
Mom continued.
“He also said something about Nathan.””
“What?””
She looked toward the laptop.
“He said Nathan had taken the wrong document.””
Margaret lifted her head.
“What does that mean?””
Mom shook her head.
“I never understood.””
I looked at the original trust document.
Then at the second will.
Then at the recording.
A thought began forming.
“Maybe Nathan thought he had taken the original trust, but Dad had already changed it.””
Margaret nodded slowly.
“That is possible.””
I leaned forward.
“Can we establish whether the document Nathan took was actually a decoy?””
Margaret examined the papers.
“Yes. But we need the document from Nathan's briefcase, if it still exists.””
Stephanie looked at me.
“I know where it is.””
Everyone turned.
“What?”” I asked.
She wiped her cheeks.
“Nathan keeps an old black briefcase in his study. He never uses it. It's locked inside a cabinet.””
“Why didn't you mention that before?””
“Because I didn't know what it contained.””
I stared at her.
“Can you access it?””
She nodded.
“I know the cabinet code.””
James immediately shook his head.
“We cannot simply enter the property and remove documents. We need to proceed lawfully.””
Stephanie looked frustrated.
“Then what do we do?””
Margaret answered.
“We preserve the evidence you already have, obtain the appropriate authorization, and request access through legal channels.””
I nodded.
“Fine.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from David.
I need to tell you something in person.
I frowned.
I had just spoken to him.
Another message appeared.
There is a reason Richard's final medical report disappeared.
I called him.
No answer.
I tried again.
Still nothing.
Then Margaret's phone rang.
She listened briefly.
Her expression changed.
“What happened?””
She ended the call.
“David Mercer has been reported missing.””
My stomach dropped.
“What?””
“His car was found outside his apartment. His phone is switched off. His neighbor says he left with someone last night.””
I stood.
“Who?””
Margaret shook her head.
“Unknown.””
Stephanie looked terrified.
“Could it have been Nathan?””
James was already making calls.
I turned toward the laptop.
The security footage was still paused on the image of my father sitting at his desk.
The date and time were visible in the corner.
I looked closer.
Something about the image bothered me.
I moved toward the screen.
“Can you enlarge that section?””
James adjusted the footage.
My father was sitting in his chair.
Charles stood behind him.
Nathan was near the desk.
But on the far right side of the image, partly hidden by the door, was a small wall clock.
The time read 11:47 p.m.
I looked at the visitor record.
Nathan had arrived at the hospital before the ambulance.
But the ambulance had been called at 11:52 p.m.
Five minutes later.
I looked at my mother.
“Who called emergency services?””
She stared at the screen.
“David.””
“Then why was Nathan already at the hospital?””
Mom slowly shook her head.
“I don't know.””
I turned back to the video.
“Can we access the hospital records?””
Margaret nodded.
“We can request them through the appropriate process.””
I looked at James.
“What about the missing medical report?””
“We'll include that in the investigation.””
Stephanie was staring at her phone.
Suddenly, she whispered, “I think I know why Nathan married me.””
I turned.
“What?””
She looked at me.
“He wasn't trying to get the company through me.””
I frowned.
“Then what?””
“He wanted to control what I knew.””
I said nothing.
She continued.
“Charles was my biological father. Nathan knew. He knew I might eventually discover the truth. If I stayed with him, he could control what I learned, what I told the lawyers, and whether I ever contacted Patricia.””
Margaret nodded.
“That is consistent with the evidence we've seen.””
Stephanie looked down.
“And he knew I was jealous of Olivia.””
I felt a knot tighten in my chest.
“He used that.””
She nodded.
“He knew I wanted what you had. He made me believe he had chosen me because I was better than you.””
Her voice broke.
“He made me feel like I'd finally won.””
I looked at her.
“Why did you believe him?””
She stared at her ring.
“Because I wanted to.””
For a moment, I saw the little girl in the blue dress.
The girl who couldn't bear to watch her sister receive something she wanted.
Only now, the price of that jealousy had become painfully clear.
Stephanie slowly removed her wedding ring.
She placed it on the table.
“I don't want it anymore.””
I looked at the diamond.
The same ring she had proudly displayed at our mother's funeral.
The same ring she had used to humiliate me.
She pushed it toward Margaret.
“Can this be used as evidence?””
Margaret nodded.
“We'll document it and determine whether it has any relevance.””
My sister sat back.
“I want a divorce.””
I looked at her.
“Then file for one.””
She nodded.
No drama.
No argument.
No demand that I forgive her.
Just a quiet acceptance.
Then my mother suddenly stood.
“I need to tell you one more thing.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She glanced toward Stephanie.
“Patricia contacted me three months ago.””
Stephanie froze.
“What?””
Mom nodded.
“She wanted to meet you.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because she said she had information about Nathan. She told me that if she came forward, Charles would make sure neither of you received anything from the trust.””
Stephanie began crying.
“Did you meet her?””
Mom nodded.
“Once.””
“Where?””
“At a small restaurant outside Milwaukee.””
“Why didn't you bring me?””
“Because she was afraid.””
Stephanie stood.
“I want to see her.””
Mom nodded.
“I know.””
She reached into her handbag and removed a small piece of paper.
It contained an address.
And beneath it, a handwritten message.
Tell Stephanie that I never stopped loving her.
My sister broke down.
She sank into a chair and cried like a child.
I wanted to comfort her.
But I couldn't forget what she had done to me.
I simply stood beside her.
Then James's phone rang.
He listened for a few seconds.
His expression changed.
He turned toward Margaret.
“We have a problem.””
“What?””
“The company has received an emergency transfer request.””
Margaret stood immediately.
“From whom?””
James looked at me.
“Cole Holdings.””
“On what authority?””
He handed her a document.
Margaret read it.
Then her face went pale.
“That's impossible.””
I stepped closer.
“What?””
She looked at me.
“Someone has submitted a document claiming that Richard transferred his controlling interest to Charles Cole before his death.””
I stared.
“Dad never did that.””
“I know.””
“Then it's forged.””
Margaret nodded.
“Almost certainly.””
James pointed to the signature page.
“But there's something else.””
I looked down.
The signature was familiar.
It was my father's.
And beneath it was a witness signature.
My mother's.
I turned toward her.
“Mom?””
She looked at the document.
Her lips parted.
Then she whispered:
“That's not my signature.””
Margaret took a closer look.
And suddenly, she understood.
“The document was signed by someone pretending to be Eleanor.””
Stephanie looked at me.
“Who?””
I stared at the signature.
Then I noticed the name printed beneath it.
*Linda Brooks.*
My mother's face crumpled.
May you like
“She's back.””
And somewhere across the city, someone was trying to take everything my father had spent his life protecting.
