Chapter 4: The Second Betrayal
The next morning, I drove to Clara’s apartment with Toby sitting quietly beside me.
Neither of us said much.
The entire world I knew had changed in less than twenty-four hours.
A wedding invitation had turned into a police investigation.
A woman I planned to marry had become a suspect.
And now my father’s final message suggested there was someone else involved.
Someone close to me.
When we arrived, Clara’s apartment door was slightly open.
I immediately felt uneasy.
“Stay behind me,” I told Toby.
He nodded.
We stepped inside.
“Clara?””
No answer.
The apartment was small but organized.
A cup of tea sat untouched on the kitchen table.
A blanket was folded neatly on the couch.
Everything looked normal.
Except for one thing.
A folder was missing from the table.
The same folder Clara mentioned in her message.
“Toby, don’t touch anything.””
I looked around.
Then I heard a sound from the hallway.
A weak voice.
“Mr. Collins?””
I rushed toward it.
Clara was sitting against the wall.
She looked frightened.
“Are you okay?””
She nodded slowly.
“I knew they would come looking.””
“Who?””
She looked at Toby.
Then at me.
“Your father was right about Vanessa.””
I helped her sit down.
“What happened?””
Clara took a deep breath.
“Your father discovered Vanessa was trying to change his estate documents.””
“I know.””
“No,” she said quickly.
“You don’t know everything.””
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small USB drive.
“He asked me to protect this.””
I stared at it.
“What is it?””
“Everything.””
Before I could ask another question, Clara grabbed my hand.
“Your father didn’t just suspect Vanessa.””
“Then who?””
Her eyes filled with fear.
“He suspected someone in your own family.””
The room went quiet.
I thought about my mother.
My relatives.
Everyone who knew about my father’s money.
“Who?””
Clara looked toward the door.
Then whispered:
“Your brother.””
My heart dropped.
“My brother?””
She nodded.
“Vanessa didn’t work alone.””
I stepped back.
That couldn’t be true.
My younger brother, Ethan, had always been the person I defended.
The person I helped when he struggled financially.
The person my father always worried about.
“No,” I said.
Clara looked at me sadly.
“I’m sorry.””
A thousand memories rushed through my mind.
Ethan asking about my father’s health.
Ethan suddenly becoming close to Vanessa.
Ethan telling me I was lucky to have someone who could “handle the family finances.””
I had ignored every warning.
Because believing someone you love could betray you hurts more than the betrayal itself.
My phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
From Ethan.
I opened it.
Three words.
We need to talk.
Then another message arrived.
A photo.
My blood went cold.
It showed Ethan sitting across from Vanessa inside a restaurant.
Taken yesterday.
The day before my wedding.
Before Toby exposed everything.
Toby looked at my face.
“Dad?””
I locked the phone.
“I’m okay.””
But I wasn’t.
Because I finally understood what my father had been trying to tell me.
Vanessa wasn’t the beginning.
She was only the first person I caught.
My father’s warning had been about something much bigger.
Something my own family had hidden from me.
Then Ethan called.
I answered.
His voice came through immediately.
“Mark, listen to me. Vanessa is going to lie to you.””
I looked at Toby.
Then at the USB drive in my hand.
“Why should I believe anything you say?””
There was silence.
May you like
Then Ethan whispered:
“Because Dad’s death wasn’t an accident.””
