Chapter 7: The Betrayal Written in Ink
I stared at the signature at the bottom of the document.
For several seconds, I convinced myself I was reading it wrong.
I moved the paper closer.
Then farther away.
But the name remained.
*Thomas Grant.*
My father.
Elijah’s grandfather.
The man whose absence had shaped so much of my life.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
“No,” I whispered.
Marcus watched my face carefully.
“You know him.””
I looked up.
“That’s my father.””
Elijah looked between us.
“Grandpa?””
The word sounded strange coming from him.
Because he had never met the man.
He only knew the stories I carefully chose to tell.
The happy ones.
The safe ones.
Not the painful ones.
Marcus nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
I looked at the document again.
My father’s signature was beneath a contract connected to Richard Hale’s company.
A contract that showed cooperation between two families.
Two people I had trusted.
Two people who had hidden the truth from me.
“How long did you know?””
Marcus looked away.
“Years.””
The answer hurt.
“You knew my father was involved?””
“I suspected.””
“Suspected?””
My voice became louder.
“You watched me raise Elijah alone while you suspected my own father was connected to the reason you left?””
Marcus didn’t defend himself.
That almost made me angrier.
“I was trying to find proof.””
“And what was I supposed to do? Wait?””
He lowered his eyes.
“No.””
The honesty stopped me.
“I was wrong.””
The words hung in the air.
Because apologies from Marcus were something I had imagined for years.
But now that they came, they didn’t fix anything.
They only reminded me of what was lost.
Elijah quietly picked up his airplane box.
He looked uncomfortable.
“I think I should go to my room.””
My heart broke.
Not because he was leaving.
Because he had learned to recognize adult pain.
I immediately softened.
“Sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong.””
He nodded.
“I know.””
But his voice was quieter.
“I just don’t like when people are sad because of me.””
I knelt beside him.
“None of this is because of you.””
He looked at the broken airplane.
“Richard broke my toy.””
A pause.
“But now everyone is fighting.””
I touched his hand.
“Sometimes when people do wrong things, the truth causes problems before it fixes them.””
He thought about that.
Then nodded.
“I still want the airplane to help someone.””
I smiled.
“Of course you do.””
After Elijah went upstairs, Marcus and I sat at the kitchen table surrounded by documents.
For the first time in years, we were on the same side.
But trust was still missing.
“Tell me everything,” I said.
Marcus opened another folder.
“When I worked for Richard, I handled some of his foundation projects.””
“The charity programs?””
“Yes.””
He placed several reports on the table.
“Richard used his charity image to gain public trust. But behind the scenes, money was being moved through different organizations.””
I studied the papers.
“And my father?””
Marcus sighed.
“Your father helped create some of those organizations.””
I felt sick.
“My father spent my whole childhood teaching me about honesty.””
“I know.””
“He taught me that reputation was everything.””
Marcus looked at me.
“Sometimes people protect their reputation because they’re afraid of what happens if the truth comes out.””
Before I could answer, my phone rang.
Claire.
I picked up immediately.
“Claire?””
Her voice was rushed.
“Naomi, you need to come back to the mansion.””
“What happened?””
“The charity board found something.””
“What?””
A pause.
Then:
“Richard is trying to remove Elijah’s story from the official records.””
My anger returned instantly.
“He can’t do that.””
“I know.””
Claire lowered her voice.
“But there’s more.””
I stood.
“What?””
“We found a second donation record.””
I looked at Marcus.
“What kind of record?””
Claire hesitated.
“One that proves Richard knew exactly who Elijah was before he approached him.””
My heart stopped.
“He knew?””
“Yes.””
The room went silent.
Marcus stood up.
“Naomi.””
I looked at him.
His expression was serious.
“He didn’t break that airplane because he thought it was worthless.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Then why?””
Marcus looked toward the staircase where Elijah had disappeared.
“Because he knew whose hands built it.””
I grabbed my coat.
“Then we’re going back.””
Marcus followed.
But before we reached the door, another message appeared on my phone.
This time, it wasn’t from an unknown number.
It was from Richard.
May you like
One sentence.
*“Bring Marcus with you. I want everyone to finally hear the truth.””*
