Chapter 6: The Brother’s Confession
I drove faster than I should have.
Every red light felt like an obstacle.
Every second felt like a countdown.
I kept calling Maya.
No answer.
The woman who had broken my heart was suddenly the person I was terrified of losing.
I hated that.
I hated that after everything, I still cared.
But I did.
When I reached my house, the front door was open.
I stopped in the driveway.
The same doorway where Maya had kissed me goodbye that morning.
Now it looked completely different.
Empty.
Cold.
I walked inside.
“Maya?””
Nothing.
The living room was untouched.
The coffee table.
The couch.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Then I saw something on the floor.
Her bracelet.
The one I gave her on our anniversary.
I picked it up.
My hands shook.
“Maya?””
A sound came from upstairs.
A movement.
I rushed toward the stairs.
But before I reached the top, someone spoke.
“Ethan.””
I turned.
Daniel stood in the hallway.
My brother.
His face was pale.
“What are you doing here?””
He looked at the bracelet in my hand.
“She told you?””
I froze.
“Told me what?””
Daniel looked away.
That told me everything.
“You know where she is.””
He didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“Where is my wife?””
Daniel swallowed.
“I didn’t want this to happen.””
“What did you do?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Nothing went the way it was supposed to.””
I grabbed his arm.
“Where is Maya?””
He pulled away.
“Ethan, listen to me.””
“No.””
My voice echoed through the house.
“I have spent my entire life listening to people tell me what they think I need to know.””
I stepped closer.
“Now you’re going to tell me the truth.””
Daniel looked broken.
Finally, he sat down.
“I was desperate.””
I stared at him.
“For money?””
He nodded.
The honesty hurt more than another lie.
“I owed people.””
“Marcus?””
Daniel looked up.
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“My own brother.””
“I never wanted to hurt you.””
“But you did.””
Daniel looked down.
“I thought I could fix it.””
“How?””
He took a deep breath.
“By getting access to the property.””
I already knew.
But hearing him say it made it real.
“Why?””
“Because Marcus promised he could make the debt disappear.””
“And Maya?””
Daniel hesitated.
That hesitation made my anger return.
“What about Maya?””
He rubbed his face.
“She found out what we were doing.””
“We?””
Daniel looked ashamed.
“She found the documents before we did.””
I stared at him.
“Then why didn’t she tell me?””
“I don’t know.””
That answer bothered me.
Because it meant nobody truly understood Maya’s role.
Then Daniel reached into his pocket.
He pulled out his phone.
“There’s something you need to see.””
He opened a video.
The screen showed Maya.
Sitting in a room I didn’t recognize.
She looked scared.
A voice off camera spoke.
“Tell him why you married him.””
My stomach dropped.
“What is this?””
Daniel looked at me.
“I found it on Marcus’ computer.””
The video continued.
Maya looked directly at the camera.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I didn’t marry Ethan for his money.””
The voice behind the camera laughed.
“Then why?””
Maya looked down.
Then she whispered:
“Because his father asked me to protect him.””
I stopped breathing.
Daniel looked at me.
“I think you need to know the truth about your wife.””
The video froze.
And underneath it was a timestamp.
A date.
Three months before my father died.
I looked at Daniel.
“Why would my father tell Maya to protect me?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Because we both heard it.
A noise from behind us.
The front door slowly opened.
Someone walked inside.
May you like
And a familiar voice said:
“Because your father knew I was coming back.””
