Chapter 12: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Gone
Nobody spoke.
The name alone changed the atmosphere.
Mark.
The man who had started everything.
The man who had taken David’s mistake and turned it into a nightmare.
The man who had threatened my family.
The man who was supposed to be gone.
“What do you mean he’s awake?”” Thomas asked.
Sarah looked at him.
“I thought he was in hiding.””
David stared.
“You knew where he was?””
“No.””
“Sarah.””
She looked exhausted.
“I thought he left.””
Thomas stood.
“Explain.””
Sarah sat down slowly.
“After Michael discovered everything, Mark disappeared.””
“Disappeared where?”” I asked.
She looked at me.
“I don’t know.””
“You expect us to believe that?””
She looked frustrated.
“For once, yes.””
I studied her face.
And I hated that I couldn’t tell if she was lying.
Thomas picked up his phone.
“I’ll verify this.””
He stepped outside.
The rest of us sat in silence.
David finally spoke.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Sarah looked at him.
“Because I knew you’d hate me.””
“You lied to me for years.””
“I was trying to protect us.””
“No.””
David shook his head.
“You were trying to protect yourself.””
She looked away.
And I realized something.
They weren’t a team.
They were two scared people who had been hiding behind each other.
Thomas returned five minutes later.
His expression had changed.
“What happened?”” I asked.
He sat down.
“Mark is alive.””
David closed his eyes.
“How?””
“He was hospitalized after an accident.””
“Accident?””
Thomas nodded.
“He was unconscious for months.””
Sarah whispered:
“So he really didn’t know.””
Thomas looked at her.
“Know what?””
She hesitated.
Then said:
“That Michael left evidence.””
The room went quiet again.
I looked at her.
“You were afraid of him.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Sarah looked at me.
“Because Mark knows what I did.””
David frowned.
“What you did?””
Sarah didn’t answer.
I felt something cold settle inside me.
“What did you do?””
She looked down.
“I changed the agreement.””
Thomas immediately stood.
“What agreement?””
“The one with Mark.””
David stared.
“You told me it was just an investment.””
Sarah’s eyes filled.
“I made a deal with him.””
“What deal?””
She whispered:
“If he helped David get money quickly, I would help him access information about Michael’s assets.””
Nobody spoke.
My hands went numb.
She wasn’t just involved.
She was the reason.
“You gave him information about us.””
Sarah nodded.
“Some.””
“Some?””
She looked at me.
“I didn’t know how far he would go.””
Thomas shook his head.
“You knew enough.””
Sarah started crying.
But I couldn’t tell if it was regret or fear.
Then my phone rang.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
Nobody moved.
Thomas said quietly:
“Don’t answer.””
But something inside me already knew.
I pressed the button.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then a man’s voice.
Older.
Weak.
But confident.
“Linda Bennett?””
My blood ran cold.
“Yes?””
A pause.
Then:
“Your husband was right about one thing.””
I gripped the phone.
“What?””
The man laughed softly.
“He knew you would eventually need to hear the truth.””
I looked around the room.
David.
Sarah.
Thomas.
All watching me.
The voice continued.
“But he was wrong about one thing too.””
My heart pounded.
“What was he wrong about?””
The man whispered:
“He thought Sarah was the biggest threat.””
A long pause.
May you like
Then the words that made my entire body freeze:
“She wasn’t.””
