CHAPTER 2 — THE LIE THAT STOLE FIVE YEARS Ethan stared at Sarah as if the last five years had never happened. "I searched for you." She laughed. Not happily. Broken people laugh differently. "You stopped searching after one phone call." "I never stopped." She looked at him with disbelief. "I went to your apartment." "I was told you had left me." "I sent letters." "I never received one." "I transferred money." "I never saw a dollar." The puzzle began falling apart. Ethan called his assistant. "Bring me every file connected to Sarah Mitchell. Now." Within an hour, old records were spread across the conference table. One document caught everyone's attention. A forged resignation letter. Another. A fake restraining notice. Another. Bank transfers redirected into an account Sarah had never owned. Then came the final shock. Every document had been approved by one person. Victoria Cole. Ethan's mother. She entered the office without warning. "I did what was necessary," she said calmly. "She would have ruined this family." Ethan looked at the woman who had raised him. "You told me she left." Victoria never denied it. "I gave her money to disappear." Sarah slowly shook her head. "I never took it." Victoria smiled coldly. "I know." "I kept it." The room fell silent. Five years of suffering... Created by one calculated lie. Ethan looked at Sarah with tears in his eyes. "I failed you." Sarah answered quietly. "No." "You believed the wrong person."

2 chapters