“I was trying to protect my family.”
“When Claire married Leonard, I moved on. Years later, your mother and I had you.”
At the mention of my mother, my chest tightened.
I barely remembered her. Just flashes: dark hair, a soft voice, the smell of lavender.
Dad had always told me she left when I was little.
Then Julian quietly said, “Your mother didn’t leave willingly.”
I froze.
I barely remembered her.
“What?”
Dad closed his eyes.
Julian reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope filled with papers.
“My mother discovered illegal deals, fraud, and construction accidents tied to Leonard’s company.”
Dad looked genuinely nervous.
“There was a building collapse years ago,” he admitted. “Three workers died.”
Julian nodded slowly.
“My father blamed your mother for it.”
I stared at him in confusion. “Why my mother?”
“Because she managed the financial records tied to the project.”
My breath caught.
“My mother discovered illegal deals.”
“No,” I whispered.
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“Leonard needed someone to take the blame before investigators uncovered the fraud.”
Julian handed me a newspaper clipping.
WOMAN SUSPECTED IN DEVELOPMENT SCANDAL MISSING AFTER INVESTIGATION.
Underneath was my mother’s photo.
I felt physically sick.
“You told me she abandoned us.”
Dad looked shattered.
“That’s what everyone believed publicly.”
“And?”
I felt physically sick.
The answer came from Julian.
“My mother helped her disappear before Leonard could hand her over to the police.”
I stared at him.
“What happened to her?”
Neither answered immediately. The silence terrified me.
“Dad?!”
His eyes filled with tears.
“She died six years later.”
My knees nearly gave out.
Julian quickly grabbed my arm to steady me.
