Chapter 4: The Secret Behind Their Marriage
“If Daniel is watching this, then Vanessa has probably succeeded in getting control of Ethan's inheritance.””
Robert Carter's voice echoed through the dining room.
On the laptop screen, the elderly man shifted uncomfortably against his hospital pillows. His face was pale, and an oxygen tube rested beneath his nose.
But his expression was unmistakable.
He was afraid.
“There's something my son needs to know about the woman he married,” Robert continued.
“And I pray he has enough courage to hear the truth.””
Daniel stood motionless.
Vanessa reached for the laptop again, but Evelyn stepped between her and the table.
“Don't touch it,” Evelyn warned.
“Turn it off!”” Vanessa screamed.
“You have no right to show private family recordings!””
Robert's recorded voice continued.
“Daniel, I first met Vanessa three years before your wedding. She approached me at a charity fundraiser and introduced herself as a financial consultant. She claimed she wanted to discuss a charitable investment opportunity.””
Daniel frowned.
“Three years before our wedding?””
He looked at Vanessa.
“You told me we met at that charity dinner.””
Vanessa said nothing.
Robert continued.
“At first, I thought she was simply interested in our family foundation. But she kept asking questions about our assets, our properties, and particularly Ethan's inheritance.””
Daniel's hands slowly curled into fists.
The recording showed Robert opening a folder.
“I became suspicious when I discovered that Vanessa had previously contacted two people who worked for our estate. She wanted information about the trust established for Ethan.””
Daniel looked toward Victor.
“Did you know about this?””
Victor shook his head.
“No. I never saw these original records.””
Robert continued.
“I hired a private investigator. What he discovered changed everything.””
The screen briefly went black before displaying a photograph.
It showed a younger Vanessa standing outside a hotel beside a man Daniel had never seen before.
The date printed beneath the photograph was four years earlier.
Daniel leaned closer.
“Who is that?””
Evelyn answered quietly.
“His name was Michael Grant.””
Vanessa's face drained of color.
Robert's recording resumed.
“Michael was Vanessa's former business partner. They were investigated for falsifying investment documents and diverting money from elderly clients. The case was eventually settled privately, but Michael disappeared shortly afterward.””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“You told me you'd never been involved in any financial scandal.””
“I wasn't,” she whispered.
Evelyn gave a bitter laugh.
“Then perhaps you can explain why your name appears on the settlement documents.””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Daniel, I was young. I made mistakes. But I changed.””
Daniel didn't respond.
The recording continued.
“I didn't want to believe Vanessa had approached you for financial reasons. I watched her around Ethan. I wanted to believe she genuinely cared about my grandson.””
Robert paused, coughing into a tissue.
“But then I discovered something even more disturbing.””
The next photograph appeared.
It showed Daniel and Vanessa together at the charity fundraiser where they first met.
Behind them, barely visible in the background, stood Michael Grant.
Daniel stepped backward.
“That man was there?””
“Yes,” Evelyn whispered.
Robert's voice became weaker.
“Michael introduced Vanessa to Daniel. It wasn't a coincidence. They knew who you were.
They knew about your family. And they knew your father had established a trust for your little boy.””
Daniel stared at the screen.
He remembered that evening.
He had been standing near the ballroom entrance when Vanessa approached him. She had complimented his late wife, Sarah, whose photograph was displayed at the charity memorial.
She had seemed compassionate.
She had remembered Ethan's name.
She had told Daniel she understood what it meant to raise a child alone.
He had believed her.
“Why?”” Daniel whispered.
Robert looked directly into the camera.
“Because they believed that marrying you would eventually give them access to the Carter fortune.””
Vanessa suddenly slapped the table.
“Lies! All of it!””
Daniel turned toward her.
“Then explain the photographs.””
“They mean nothing!””
“Explain Michael!””
“He was a business acquaintance!””
“Explain why you were asking my father about Ethan's trust before we were even married!””
Vanessa's voice cracked.
“Because I wanted financial security!””
Daniel stared at her.
“And you got it. You got a beautiful house, a comfortable life, and everything you wanted. But it wasn't enough, was it?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“You don't understand what it's like to build a family with a man who already has a child.””
Evelyn stepped forward.
“No. What you don't understand is that a child is not an obstacle to be removed.””
Robert's voice interrupted them.
“There is one final thing I need you to understand, Daniel.””
The recording showed him reaching toward the camera.
“I discovered that Vanessa had contacted a lawyer about becoming Ethan's legal guardian if anything happened to you. She was preparing for a situation in which she could control his inheritance without your approval.””
Daniel's face went white.
The recording ended with Robert's final words.
“Protect my grandson. And whatever happens, never let her separate him from the truth about his mother.””
The screen went dark.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Daniel slowly turned toward Vanessa.
“What did my father mean about my son's mother?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“I don't know.””
Evelyn looked at her.
“You know exactly what he meant.””
Daniel approached his wife.
“Tell me what you did.””
Vanessa backed away.
“Nothing.””
“Then why did Father mention Sarah?””
Her silence was answer enough.
Daniel's voice dropped.
“What did you do to my late wife?””
Vanessa looked toward the front door.
Victor suddenly cleared his throat.
“Daniel, there's something else in the briefcase. I think you should see it before making any decisions.””
He removed a small envelope marked with Robert's handwriting.
*FOR DANIEL ONLY.*
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a letter and a photocopy of an old medical report.
He read the first paragraph.
Then he looked at Evelyn.
“Mother…”
His voice trembled.
“This says Sarah didn't die in the accident.””
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Vanessa grabbed the back of a chair.
Daniel looked at the final sentence.
The report suggested that Sarah's accident had been preceded by a medical emergency.
And someone had altered the original hospital records.
He looked up.
“Who changed these records?””
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Evelyn's eyes moved toward Vanessa.
“That's the question your father spent his final months trying to answer.””
