For several seconds, I thought Arthur had chosen the cruelest possible lie simply to buy himself time.
\nThen I looked at Noah.
\nMy oldest brother had gone completely still.
\nNot confused.
\nNot angry.
\nStill.
\n\u201cTell me he\u2019s lying,\u201d I whispered.
\nNoah didn\u2019t answer.
\nThat frightened me more than Arthur\u2019s words.
\nI turned toward Leo.
\nHe looked at Julian.
\nJulian looked at Marcus.
\nMarcus lowered his eyes.
\nCaleb was the only one staring directly at Arthur.
\n\u201cYou have thirty seconds,\u201d Caleb said quietly.
\nArthur sank into one of the ballroom chairs.
\nThe powerful head of the Vance family suddenly looked exhausted.
\n\u201cMy family knew your mother long before you married Isaac.\u201d
\nI felt something cold spread through my chest.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\nArthur looked at Noah.
\n\u201cAsk him.\u201d
\nEvery head turned.
\nNoah\u2019s jaw tightened.
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cNoah?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He exhaled slowly.
\n\u201cThere are things Dad told me before he died.\u201d
\nMy heart dropped.
\n\u201cYou knew?\u201d
\n\u201cNot this.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what did you know?\u201d
\nHe hesitated.
\nThat hesitation cut deeper than I expected.
\nI stepped back.
\n\u201cNoah.\u201d
\n\u201cOur father made me promise never to discuss certain parts of Mom\u2019s death unless there was a threat to the family.\u201d
\nI laughed once.
\nIt sounded broken.
\n\u201cA threat?\u201d
\nI gestured toward Arthur.
\n\u201cYou think this qualifies?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Noah nodded.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThen start talking.\u201d
\nArthur interrupted.
\n\u201cYour father didn\u2019t know everything.\u201d
\nCaleb took one step toward him.
\n\u201cYou keep saying things like that, Arthur, and eventually one of us is going to stop being patient.\u201d
\nI raised my hand.
\n\u201cLet him speak.\u201d
\nArthur looked at me.
\n\u201cNineteen years ago, your mother came to me.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cShe needed help moving money.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Marcus immediately frowned.
\n\u201cHow much?\u201d
\nArthur looked toward him.
\n\u201cInitially? Twelve million.\u201d
\nWendy gasped.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nArthur ignored her.
\n\u201cShe told me the money had to be protected from someone inside the Sterling organization.\u201d
\nNoah\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d
\nArthur continued.
\n\u201cShe created the trust using Wendy\u2019s name as beneficiary because she believed nobody would connect the Vance family to the Sterlings.\u201d
\nWendy stared at him.
\n\u201cYou used my identity?\u201d
\n\u201cI protected you.\u201d
\n\u201cYou lied to me for nineteen years.\u201d
\nArthur said nothing.<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.
\n\u201cWhat happened to my mother?\u201d
\nArthur looked at the floor.
\n\u201cShe discovered money disappearing from Sterling accounts.\u201d
\nMarcus frowned.
\n\u201cFraud?\u201d
\n\u201cMore complicated.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\nArthur looked toward Noah.
\n\u201cYour father had enemies.\u201d
\nNoah gave a cold smile.
\n\u201cSo did half the people he did business with.\u201d
\nArthur nodded.
\n\u201cOne of them got close enough to steal from him.\u201d
\n\u201cName.\u201d
\nArthur shook his head.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know it then.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd now?\u201d
\nArthur looked at me.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy pulse quickened.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nBefore he could answer, the front doors opened again.
\nDetective Harris walked back into the ballroom.
\nHe wasn\u2019t alone.
\nA second detective followed him, holding a tablet.
\nEveryone turned.
\nDetective Harris looked at me.
\n\u201cMrs. Vance, I need a word.\u201d
\nArthur immediately stood.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe detective looked at him.
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t directed at you.\u201d
\nArthur\u2019s face changed.
\nDetective Harris approached me.
\n\u201cWe reviewed the security footage you sent.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something strange.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Caleb moved beside me.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nThe detective held out the tablet.
\nThe ballroom footage was paused at 8:41 p.m.
\nIsaac stood near the champagne table.
\nClover was beside him.
\nWendy was laughing.
\nArthur was watching.
\nAnd I was still tied to the beam.
\nI forced myself to keep looking.
\nDetective Harris zoomed into the far doorway.
\nA man stood there.
\nHalf hidden behind the curtain.
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cWho is that?\u201d
\n\u201cWe were hoping you could tell us.\u201d
\nI looked closer.
\nDark suit.
\nGray hair.
\nTall.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
His face wasn\u2019t clear.
\nBut Arthur suddenly made a sound behind me.
\nA sharp inhale.
\nEveryone turned.
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cYou know him.\u201d
\nArthur said nothing.
\nDetective Harris asked again.
\n\u201cMr. Vance?\u201d
\nArthur\u2019s face had gone white.
\nThe detective zoomed further.
\nThe man in the doorway had been holding something.
\nA phone.
\nPointed toward me.
\nHe had been recording.
\nCaleb took the tablet.
\n\u201cHe wasn\u2019t a guest.\u201d
\nDetective Harris shook his head.
\n\u201cWe checked the invitation list.\u201d
\nI looked at Arthur.
\n\u201cWho is he?\u201d
\nArthur swallowed.
\nThen he whispered a name.
\n\u201cVictor Hale.\u201d
\nNoah\u2019s face changed instantly.
\nLeo cursed under his breath.
\nJulian stepped forward.
\nMarcus looked at me.
\nCaleb went completely silent.
\nI stared at all of them.
\n\u201cYou know that name.\u201d
\nNoah nodded.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWho is he?\u201d
\nNoah looked at Arthur.
\n\u201cTell her.\u201d
\nArthur sat again.
\n\u201cVictor Hale worked for your father.\u201d
\nMy skin prickled.
\n\u201cIn what capacity?\u201d
\nArthur answered quietly.
\n\u201cHe handled problems.\u201d
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cThat means nothing.\u201d
\nNoah spoke instead.
\n\u201cIt means he was Dad\u2019s fixer.\u201d
\nThe room became even colder.
\n\u201cWhat kind of fixer?\u201d
\nNoah looked at me.
\n\u201cThe kind who made dangerous situations disappear.\u201d
\nI turned back to Arthur.
\n\u201cAnd you think this man stole from my family?\u201d
\nArthur nodded.
\n\u201cYour mother did.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened after she found out?\u201d
\nArthur hesitated.
\nI took another step toward him.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cShe collected proof.\u201d
\nMarcus immediately asked, \u201cWhere?\u201d
\nArthur looked at me.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cConvenient.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s the truth.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d
\nArthur lowered his voice.
\n\u201cShe called me the night she died.\u201d
\nMy hands went cold.
\nEvery childhood memory I had of my mother suddenly felt fragile.
\nHer perfume.
\nHer voice.
\nThe blue dress she wore to my seventh birthday.
\nThe way she tucked my hair behind my ears.
\nI had spent twenty-seven years believing I had lost her in a car accident.
\nArthur continued.
\n\u201cShe was terrified.\u201d
\nNoah looked like he wanted to break the chair beside him.
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\nArthur looked at him.
\n\u201cShe said Victor knew.\u201d
\n\u201cAbout the evidence?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cShe said if anything happened to her, I was supposed to protect the trust until one of her children was old enough to understand.\u201d
\nI whispered, \u201cOne of her children.\u201d
\nArthur nodded.
\n\u201cShe specifically named Flora.\u201d
\nMy throat tightened.
\n\u201cMe?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nArthur stared at me.
\n\u201cBecause she trusted you.\u201d
\nI almost laughed.
\n\u201cI was seven.\u201d
\n\u201cShe said you remembered everything.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\nA memory surfaced.
\nNot clearly.
\nFragments.
\nRain against a windshield.
\nMy mother crying.
\nA silver necklace.
\nA man shouting.
\nThen nothing.
\nI pressed my fingers to my temple.
\nNoah noticed.
\n\u201cFlora?\u201d
\n\u201cI remember something.\u201d
\nEveryone froze.
\nCaleb stepped closer.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nRain.
\nA road.
\nHeadlights.
\nMy mother gripping the steering wheel.
\nThen her voice.
\nNot frightened.
\nUrgent.
\n\u201cFlora, listen to me.\u201d
\nMy eyes snapped open.
\nArthur stood.
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nThen another fragment came.
\nA hotel.
\nA hallway.
\nA brass room number.
\n417.
\nI whispered it.
\n\u201cFour seventeen.\u201d
\nMarcus frowned.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cRoom 417.\u201d
\nArthur looked like he had been struck.
\nNoah saw it.
\n\u201cYou know that number.\u201d
\nArthur slowly sat down again.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cExplain.\u201d
\nArthur\u2019s voice became barely audible.
\n\u201cYour mother met me at the Brighton Hotel three days before she died.\u201d
\nMy skin went cold.
\n\u201cWhat room?\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201c417.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nI stepped back.
\nA childhood memory I had spent decades believing was meaningless had just become evidence.
\nDetective Harris took out a notebook.
\n\u201cMrs. Vance, did you witness that meeting?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nArthur answered for me.
\n\u201cShe was there.\u201d
\nI turned toward him.
\n\u201cYou saw me?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou saw me three days before my mother died?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you never told me?\u201d
\nHis eyes filled with guilt.
\n\u201cYour father made me promise.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cEverybody keeps using dead people to justify lying to me.\u201d
\nNobody had an answer.
\nThen Caleb\u2019s phone rang.
\nHe looked at the screen.
\nHis expression changed.
\n\u201cWho is it?\u201d Leo asked.
\nCaleb didn\u2019t answer.
\nHe stepped aside and took the call.
\n\u201cTalk.\u201d
\nWe watched him.
\nHis face hardened.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\nPause.
\n\u201cAre you certain?\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\nThen he looked at me.
\n\u201cSend it.\u201d
\nHe ended the call.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.
\nCaleb walked toward us.
\n\u201cI had my team pull everything available on Victor Hale.\u201d
\nNoah asked, \u201cAnd?\u201d
\nCaleb turned his phone around.
\nA recent photograph filled the screen.
\nVictor Hale.
\nOlder now.
\nGray hair.
\nSame height.
\nSame face from the ballroom footage.
\nBut that wasn\u2019t what made my stomach drop.
\nThe photograph had been taken yesterday.
\nOutside a private care facility in Connecticut.
\nAnd beside Victor stood a woman.
\nThin.
\nWhite hair.
\nLate sixties.
\nAlive.
\nI stared at her face.
\nSomething inside me broke open.
\nNoah whispered, \u201cImpossible.\u201d
\nLeo covered his mouth.
\nJulian looked away.
\nMarcus froze.
\nI couldn\u2019t breathe.
\nBecause even after twenty-seven years, I recognized her.
\nMy mother.
\nAlive.
\nCaleb looked at me.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d
\nI could barely speak.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe enlarged the photo.
\nMy mother was holding a newspaper.
\nYesterday\u2019s date was clearly visible.
\nThen Caleb said the sentence that destroyed everything I thought I knew.
\n\u201cVictor Hale isn\u2019t keeping her at that facility as a patient.\u201d
\nHe looked directly at me.
\n\u201cHe owns it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
\nThe woman on Caleb\u2019s phone had my mother\u2019s eyes.
\nOlder.
\nTired.
\nBut unmistakable.
\nNoah took the phone from him.
\nHis hands were shaking.
\nI had never seen Noah\u2019s hands shake.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s alive,\u201d he whispered.
\nArthur sat frozen across the ballroom.
\nWendy stared at him.
\n\u201cYou knew?\u201d
\nArthur shook his head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t lie to me.\u201d
\n\u201cI swear.\u201d
\nHis voice cracked.
\n\u201cI thought Eleanor died that night.\u201d
\nCaleb took the phone back.
\n\u201cMy team confirmed the facility\u2019s ownership through three layered companies.\u201d
\nMarcus asked, \u201cAll connected to Victor?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nJulian frowned.
\n\u201cWhat kind of facility?\u201d
\n\u201cPrivate neurological care.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cFor dementia?\u201d
\n\u201cSome patients, yes.\u201d
\nCaleb\u2019s expression darkened.
\n\u201cBut they also specialize in long-term memory disorders and trauma recovery.\u201d
\nNoah looked at Arthur.
\n\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d
\nArthur stood slowly.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nNoah crossed the room in three steps.
\n\u201cYou knew she was being hunted.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew Victor Hale was involved.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew our mother was terrified.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd somehow she disappears for twenty-seven years while everyone believes she\u2019s dead?\u201d
\nArthur swallowed.
\n\u201cI told you what I knew.\u201d
\nNoah leaned closer.
\n\u201cI\u2019m starting to think that\u2019s the problem.\u201d
\nI touched Noah\u2019s arm.
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201cNot here.\u201d
\nHis breathing slowed.
\nI turned toward Caleb.
\n\u201cWhere is the facility?\u201d
\n\u201cConnecticut.\u201d
\n\u201cHow far?\u201d
\n\u201cToo far to reach immediately.\u201d
\nI looked back at the photo.
\nMy mother.
\nAlive.
\nSomewhere.
\nPossibly held by the man she had feared.
\nI felt something inside me harden.
\n\u201cThen we leave now.\u201d
\nJulian nodded.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll arrange the aircraft.\u201d
\nArthur stepped forward.
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just walk into Hale\u2019s property.\u201d
\nLeo turned toward him.
\n\u201cWatch us.\u201d
\nArthur ignored him.
\n\u201cVictor plans everything.\u201d
\n\u201cSo do we,\u201d Caleb said.
\nArthur looked at me.
\n\u201cIf Eleanor is alive, there is a reason she never came home.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cThat reason might be Victor.\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d
\nArthur hesitated.
\n\u201cOr maybe it was your father.\u201d
\nThe room changed.
\nNoah\u2019s expression became lethal.
\n\u201cCareful.\u201d
\nArthur didn\u2019t back down.
\n\u201cYou asked for the truth.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re accusing our father?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m saying none of you knew the entire man.\u201d
\nNoah stepped forward again.
\nI stopped him.
\n\u201cArthur.\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201cWhat are you trying to say?\u201d
\nArthur rubbed both hands across his face.
\n\u201cThe Sterling family was powerful long before any of you inherited it.\u201d
\n\u201cWe know.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHe shook his head.
\n\u201cYou know the polished version.\u201d
\nCaleb gave a humorless smile.
\n\u201cAnd you\u2019re about to educate us?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m about to tell you why Eleanor was afraid.\u201d
\nI folded my arms.
\n\u201cTalk.\u201d
\nArthur looked toward the remaining staff.
\n\u201cNot here.\u201d
\nI laughed.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve lost the right to choose the room.\u201d
\n\u201cFlora\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cTalk.\u201d
\nArthur stared at me for a long moment.
\nThen he nodded.
\n\u201cYour mother believed someone had created a hidden network inside Sterling operations.\u201d
\nMarcus asked, \u201cFor what?\u201d
\n\u201cMoney laundering. Blackmail. Bribery.\u201d
\nNoah\u2019s jaw tightened.
\n\u201cOur father wouldn\u2019t allow that.\u201d
\nArthur replied quietly.
\n\u201cYour father may not have known.\u201d
\nCaleb frowned.
\n\u201cWho ran it?\u201d
\n\u201cThat was the question Eleanor was trying to answer.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd Victor?\u201d
\n\u201cWorked close enough to your father to move unnoticed.\u201d
\nJulian asked, \u201cThen why blame Dad?\u201d
\nArthur hesitated.
\n\u201cBecause two days before the accident, Eleanor told me she was no longer sure Victor was acting alone.\u201d
\nNoah\u2019s voice dropped.
\n\u201cWho else?\u201d
\n\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d
\nArthur looked at me.
\n\u201cShe said she had discovered a betrayal inside her own home.\u201d
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cInside the Sterling family?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy brothers exchanged looks.
\nFor the first time, suspicion entered the room.
\nNot toward Arthur.
\nToward our own past.
\n\u201cNo,\u201d I said.
\nNoah looked at me.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re not doing this.\u201d
\n\u201cFlora\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWe are not turning on each other because Arthur throws out one sentence.\u201d
\nArthur started to speak.
\nI pointed at him.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve lied for decades. You don\u2019t get to destroy my family with a suggestion.\u201d
\nArthur closed his mouth.
\nCaleb nodded slowly.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s right.\u201d
\nMarcus said, \u201cWe verify everything.\u201d
\nJulian added, \u201cThen act.\u201d
\nLeo looked toward the windows.
\n\u201cStarting with Victor.\u201d
\nMy phone buzzed.
\nEveryone looked at me.
\nUnknown number.
\nI stared at the screen.
\nNoah said, \u201cDon\u2019t answer.\u201d
\nI did anyway.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen breathing.
\nA woman.
\nWeak.
\nShaky.
\nMy entire body went cold.
\n\u201cWho is this?\u201d
\nFor several seconds, nothing.
\nThen a whisper.
\n\u201cFlora?\u201d
\nMy knees almost gave out.
\nNoah grabbed my arm.
\nI put the phone on speaker.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\nThe room became completely still.
\nThe voice came again.
\nOlder.
\nFragile.
\nBut I knew it.
\nI knew it.
\n\u201cMy little flower.\u201d
\nI covered my mouth.
\nThat was what she used to call me.
\nNobody else knew.
\nTears finally came.
\nNot because Isaac hurt me.
\nNot because my marriage collapsed.
\nBecause after twenty-seven years, my dead mother had just said the name only she used.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\nNoah turned away, wiping his face.
\nLeo sat down.
\nJulian froze.
\nMarcus stared at the floor.
\nCaleb closed his eyes.
\nMy mother whispered, \u201cListen carefully.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cNo time.\u201d
\n\u201cMom, we found you. We\u2019re coming.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe word came sharply.
\n\u201cDo not come here.\u201d
\nI looked at Caleb.
\nHe was already tracing the call.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cVictor knows.\u201d
\n\u201cKnows what?\u201d
\n\u201cThat you found the accounts.\u201d
\nArthur went pale.
\nMy mother continued.
\n\u201cAnd he knows you called your brothers.\u201d
\nI looked toward the windows.
\nSuddenly the estate no longer felt safe.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause someone at your birthday party told him.\u201d
\nEvery remaining person in the ballroom looked at one another.
\nMy heart started pounding.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nMy mother began crying.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d
\n\u201cMom, tell me.\u201d
\nA noise came through the phone.
\nA door opening.
\nMy mother gasped.
\n\u201cFlora, find Room 417.\u201d
\n\u201cI remember it.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHer voice became urgent.
\n\u201cNot the hotel room.\u201d
\nI froze.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cRoom 417 is a code.\u201d
\nArthur whispered, \u201cOh God.\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\nHe knew.
\nMy mother continued.
\n\u201cThe real evidence is where your father hid the first Sterling records.\u201d
\nNoah stepped closer.
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\nThere was a sudden crash through the speaker.
\nMy mother screamed.
\n\u201cMom!\u201d
\nThen a man\u2019s voice came through.
\nCalm.
\nDeep.
\n\u201cHello, Flora.\u201d
\nMy blood turned cold.
\nVictor Hale.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve made this much more complicated than it needed to be.\u201d
\nI gripped the phone.
\n\u201cIf you touch her\u2014\u201d
\nHe laughed softly.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been touching your family\u2019s life for twenty-seven years.\u201d
\nNoah moved closer to the phone.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re dead.\u201d
\nVictor laughed again.
\n\u201cNoah Sterling. Still impulsive.\u201d
\nNoah\u2019s face changed.
\nVictor knew him.
\nPersonally.
\nCaleb\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\nHe was still working on the trace.
\nVictor continued.
\n\u201cFlora, your mother is alive because I allowed it.\u201d
\nI felt sick.
\n\u201cShe belongs with us.\u201d
\n\u201cThen come take her.\u201d
\nCaleb immediately shook his head.
\nTrap.
\nI knew.
\nVictor knew I knew.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what you want.\u201d
\n\u201cVery good.\u201d
\nHis tone almost sounded approving.
\n\u201cYou really are Eleanor\u2019s daughter.\u201d
\nThen his voice hardened.
\n\u201cBring Arthur Vance.\u201d
\nArthur stopped breathing.
\nI looked at him.
\nVictor continued.
\n\u201cBring him alone with you.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThen your mother dies before sunrise.\u201d
\nNoah reached for the phone.
\nI pulled it away.
\n\u201cWhy Arthur?\u201d
\nVictor went silent.
\nThen he said something that made Arthur grab the nearest chair for support.
\n\u201cBecause Arthur knows who killed your father.\u201d
\nThe call ended.
\nNobody moved.
\nI slowly lowered the phone.
\nNoah turned toward Arthur.
\nOur father had died twelve years ago from what doctors called a sudden heart attack.
\nAt least, that was what we had always believed.
\nNoah walked toward Arthur.
\n\u201cStart talking.\u201d
\nArthur looked at all six of us.
\nThen at Wendy.
\nHis face collapsed.
\n\u201cI hoped this would die with me.\u201d
\nMy voice came out cold.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nArthur whispered, \u201cYour father didn\u2019t have a heart attack.\u201d
\nNoah grabbed him by the jacket.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nArthur looked directly at me.
\n\u201cHe was poisoned.\u201d
\nThe room disappeared around me.
\n\u201cAnd you knew?\u201d
\nArthur nodded once.
\n\u201cFor twelve years.\u201d
\nNoah tightened his grip.
\n\u201cWho killed him?\u201d
\nArthur closed his eyes.
\nThen whispered:
\n\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds, I thought Arthur had chosen the cruelest possible lie simply to buy himself time. Then I looked at Noah. My oldest brother had gone completely still. Not … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7030"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7038,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7030\/revisions\/7038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}