Chapter 12 - MEGANMegan's body was found in an abandoned warehouse.
There were no fingerprints.
No camera footage.
No weapon.
But the detective showed me something.
A note.
It had been placed beside her body.
I'M SORRY, EMILY.
I stared at it.
“That's her handwriting.”
The detective nodded.
“She also left a second note.”
He handed me another page.
This one was longer.
Megan admitted everything.
She had met Daniel years earlier.
She knew about the genetic study.
She helped him access records.
But she claimed Brandon hadn't known the full truth.
Then came the part I couldn't understand.
She wrote:
Brandon betrayed Daniel first.
I read it again.
What did that mean?
The detective explained that someone had been draining accounts linked to the family.
The money wasn't simply stolen.
It had been moved to pay people who were threatening to expose the study.
I looked at Brandon.
“You've been paying them?”
He shook his head.
“I was trying to make it stop.”
“By hiding everything?”
“Yes.”
“You should have told me.”
“I was ashamed.”
I stared at him.
Then asked:
“Who was threatening you?”
He didn't answer.
The detective did.
“A man named Victor Hale.”
My heart stopped.
Samantha Hale.
Ava's mother.
“Is he related to Samantha?”
Her husband.
Yes.
The detective continued.
“Victor was one of Daniel's financial partners.”
Everything suddenly made sense.
Ava had been placed with Samantha.
Victor had been involved.
And now Megan was dead.
Someone was cleaning up loose ends.
That night, we received an anonymous video.
Megan was sitting in a chair.
Alive.
She looked directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, I'm probably dead.”
I felt my blood freeze.
Megan continued.
“Brandon is not the person you think he is.”
Brandon looked at the screen.
Megan said:
“He didn't marry Emily by accident.”
I turned toward him.
He closed his eyes.
Megan continued.
“Daniel told Brandon to get close to her.”
I stepped back.
“No.”
“He needed access to Emily's medical records.”
“No.”
“He needed someone who could convince her to undergo fertility treatment.”
I looked at Brandon.
He was crying.
“Tell her the rest,” Megan said on the video.
Brandon whispered,
“Emily…”
The video continued.
“Brandon was supposed to monitor her.”
My hands shook.
“But he fell in love with her.”
I froze.
The video showed Megan looking down.
“He was supposed to leave after collecting the records.”
“But he didn't.”
My heart broke in a completely different way.
Megan looked directly into the camera.
“That is why Daniel wanted him dead.”
The video ended.
I turned toward Brandon.
“You married me because of them.”
“Yes.”
“You stayed because you loved me.”
“Yes.”
“You betrayed me from the beginning.”
“I know.”
I looked at our sleeping daughters.
Then back at him.
“Do you love me?”
He began crying.
“Yes.”
I whispered,
“That's the one thing I don't know how to forgive.”
Then the front door exploded inward.
Someone fired a shot.
Brandon grabbed me.
We dropped to the floor.
Glass shattered.
The twins began screaming.
May you like
And from outside came a man's voice.
“Give me the girls.”
