Chapter 4 - The Secret Ryan Was Hiding
The folder contained information I never expected to see.
Bank records.
Messages.
Private meetings.
At first, I couldn't understand.
Then I saw the name.
Ryan.
Charles looked through everything carefully.
"He has been hiding money."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
The investigator explained.
Ryan had been moving money from our joint accounts.
Small amounts at first.
Then larger ones.
"He was preparing something."
Charles looked at me.
"What?"
The investigator hesitated.
"Leaving."
The room went silent.
I felt numb.
All those years.
All those promises.
And Ryan had already planned a future without me.
"He was going to leave?"
The investigator nodded.
"But that's not all."
He opened another document.
"He was also trying to make it appear that you were unstable."
I stared.
"What?"
"He collected private arguments. He saved messages. He was building a story."
A story.
That was what this was.
Ryan wasn't just angry.
He was preparing.
Preparing to make me look like the problem.
Charles stood.
"He wanted to control the ending."
I felt tears in my eyes.
Because suddenly everything made sense.
The accusations.
The anger.
The way he always made me apologize.
He wasn't trying to solve problems.
He was creating evidence.
That night, Ryan called.
I almost didn't answer.
But I did.
"Emily."
His voice sounded different.
Calmer.
"I think we need to talk."
I stayed silent.
"I made mistakes."
Mistakes.
That word.
I hated that word.
"You hurt me."
"I know."
"No. You don't."
Silence.
Then his voice became colder.
"You really think your father can protect you forever?"
My hand tightened around the phone.
"What does that mean?"
"You should ask him about the past."
I froze.
"What past?"
Ryan laughed quietly.
"The part of Charles Whitmore's life he doesn't want you to know."
The call ended.
I looked at Charles.
And for the first time...
May you like
I wondered.
What was Ryan talking about?
