Chapter 14: The Secret Mason Carried
I watched the video again.
Then again.
Each time, the same sentence hurt more.
*He’s right.*
Mason had been hiding something.
I had trusted him.
I had believed he was only a victim.
But maybe he had been part of this from the beginning.
Sarah watched my face carefully.
“Michael…”
I held up my hand.
“Let me finish.””
The video continued.
Mason looked exhausted.
“I need you to understand why.””
He took a breath.
“When my biological father died, I found something.””
I frowned.
“Mason’s father?””
I had barely known him.
He died when Mason was young.
A heart condition.
Another tragedy.
Another story nobody questioned.
“I found a box of his things,” Mason continued.
“Inside was a letter from Emma.””
My heart stopped.
Emma.
“She knew my dad.””
The room went silent.
Mason looked down.
“She asked him for help because she knew Daniel was dangerous.””
I stepped closer to the screen.
“She told him to keep evidence safe.””
Sarah whispered:
“Where is it?””
I ignored her.
The video continued.
“My dad hid the evidence before he died.””
Mason swallowed.
“And I spent years trying to find it.””
I felt confused.
“Why didn’t he tell me?””
Sarah looked at me.
Maybe she was wondering the same thing.
Mason answered before I could.
“Because I didn’t know if you were involved.””
Those words hurt.
But I understood.
After everything.
After every betrayal.
Trust had become impossible.
“I was a kid,” Mason said.
“I didn’t know who to believe.””
The video showed him wiping his eyes.
“Then I saw Claire hurting Lily.””
My jaw tightened.
“I knew I couldn’t wait anymore.””
Mason looked into the camera.
“So I started recording.””
A pause.
“But not just to expose Claire.””
“Then why?””
His next words shocked me.
“To find out who she was working with.””
The video ended.
I stood there silently.
Mason wasn’t a traitor.
He was investigating.
The same way Emma had.
The same way everyone who tried to find the truth eventually got hurt.
My phone rang.
This time, it was Mason.
I answered immediately.
“Mason?””
“Michael.””
His voice was weak.
“Where are you?””
“I’m safe.””
“Are you hurt?””
A pause.
“Not yet.””
My heart dropped.
“Who has you?””
“I don’t know.””
That answer scared me.
Because Mason wasn’t someone who panicked easily.
“What happened?””
“I found the evidence.””
My breathing stopped.
“What evidence?””
“The original files.””
Sarah stepped closer.
“Ask him where.””
I did.
“Mason, where are you?””
He whispered:
“The old Carter warehouse.””
My eyes widened.
That place had been abandoned years ago.
My father’s old property.
The same place connected to Daniel.
“Can you get out?””
“No.””
“Why?””
Silence.
Then:
“Because I’m not alone.””
A noise came through the phone.
A door opening.
Mason lowered his voice.
“Michael, listen carefully.””
I held my breath.
“The person who planned all of this…”
The line crackled.
“Is not Robert.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Mason whispered:
“Robert works for them.””
“Who?””
Before he answered, I heard another voice.
A woman’s voice.
A voice I recognized.
Claire.
“Mason?””
The phone went silent.
I felt ice run through my veins.
Claire was there.
But she wasn’t supposed to be.
Then Mason’s voice came back one final time.
“Michael…”
A pause.
May you like
“Don’t trust anyone who says they’re trying to save you.””
The call ended.
