CHAPTER 3 The Recording Hidden For Six Weeks
The courthouse hallway was colder than Corin remembered.
Or maybe he was just colder.
Six weeks ago, he had walked through those same doors holding Rory’s hand, believing the hardest thing he would ever face was losing his parents.
He had been wrong.
Losing them had broken his heart.
But discovering someone might have taken them away was something different.
It turned grief into a question.
And questions demanded answers.
Corin sat on a wooden bench outside the courtroom while Rory slept beside him, his head resting on Corin’s shoulder.
Evelyn sat across from them.
The USB drive rested on the table between them.
A tiny piece of plastic.
Something that looked meaningless.
But inside it was a secret that had terrified Lorraine Bellweather for months.
Corin stared at it.
“Why didn’t my parents tell me?”
Evelyn looked down.
“Because they were trying to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
She hesitated.
“From becoming involved.”
Corin let out a bitter laugh.
“I’m already involved.”
His eyes moved toward Rory.
“I lost my parents.”
His voice lowered.
“I almost lost him too.”
Evelyn’s expression softened.
“That is exactly why they kept you away from it.”
Corin frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“Your father knew something about you.”
Corin looked confused.
“My father knew I was thirteen?”
Despite everything, Evelyn almost smiled.
“No.”
She looked at him carefully.
“He knew you were brave.”
Corin looked away.
Nobody had called him brave.
People had called him emotional.
Difficult.
Unstable.
A problem.
Lorraine had spent weeks convincing everyone that he was just a child who could not handle responsibility.
But his parents had seen something else.
Evelyn continued.
“Daniel told me something before the accident.”
“What?”
“He said, ‘If anything happens, Corin will try to carry the entire world on his shoulders.’”
Corin swallowed.
That sounded exactly like something his father would say.
“And your father was right,” Evelyn continued.
“You tried to become Rory’s parent overnight.”
Corin looked down at his hands.
“I had to.”
“No.”
Evelyn’s voice was gentle.
“You wanted to.”
The difference hurt.
Because it was true.
He did not take care of Rory because someone forced him.
He did it because Rory was the only thing left that still connected him to his old life.
The sound of footsteps interrupted them.
A man in a gray suit approached.
“Ms. Hartwell.”
Evelyn looked up.
“Mr. Hayes.”
The man nodded.
“I was told you found the drive.”
Corin immediately became cautious.
“Who are you?”
The man looked at him.
“My name is Thomas Hayes. I was your father’s attorney.”
Corin studied him.
“Why didn’t I know you?”
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
“Because Lorraine made sure you didn’t.”
That answer was becoming too familiar.
Everyone knew something.
Everyone except him.
Thomas sat down.
“Your father contacted me two months before the accident.”
“About Lorraine?”
Thomas nodded.
“He believed she was manipulating company accounts.”
Corin looked at the USB drive.
“And this proves it?”
“Partly.”
“Partly?”
Thomas sighed.
“Your father was careful. He knew if Lorraine discovered he was investigating her, she would destroy any evidence.”
Evelyn looked at the drive.
“So Daniel recorded everything.”
“Yes.”
Thomas looked at Corin.
“But there is something you need to understand.”
“What?”
“This recording was not meant to expose Lorraine.”
Corin frowned.
“Then what was it for?”
Thomas became quiet.
“It was meant to explain why your parents trusted Evelyn instead of your aunt.”
The words hit harder than Corin expected.
Because he suddenly realized something.
The custody battle was not just about money.
It was about a choice.
His parents had chosen Evelyn.
Not Lorraine.
And Lorraine could not accept that.
Thomas reached into his briefcase.
“I brought a laptop.”
They moved to a private conference room.
The room was small.
No cameras.
No lawyers.
No reporters.
Just Corin, Rory, Evelyn, and the truth waiting inside a machine.
Thomas inserted the USB drive.
Several files appeared.
One folder.
One video.
Created five days before the accident.
The file name was:
“For Corin.”
Corin froze.
Not for Evelyn.
Not for the lawyers.
Not for the court.
For him.
His father had made it for him.
Thomas clicked the video.
The screen flickered.
Then Daniel Bellweather appeared.
Older.
Tired.
But smiling.
Corin immediately covered his mouth.
Seeing his father again was like being hit by a wave.
For six weeks, he had forced himself not to cry.
But now…
Now he was thirteen years old again.
A child waiting for his father to come home.
Daniel looked directly into the camera.
“Hey, Corin.”
The boy broke.
A quiet sob escaped.
Rory woke slightly.
“Daddy?”
Corin pulled him closer.
“Yes.”
His voice cracked.
“He’s here.”
On the screen, Daniel continued.
“If you are watching this, something happened.”
He paused.
“I wish I was there to explain this myself.”
Daniel looked down for a moment.
Then back at the camera.
“First, I need you to know something.”
Corin stared.
“You are not responsible for what happened.”
Those words destroyed him.
Because for six weeks, he had secretly blamed himself.
He had wondered if he should have called his parents that night.
If he should have noticed something.
If he should have done something.
His father continued.
“Your mother and I loved you more than anything.”
Daniel smiled sadly.
“And we know you, Corin.”
A tear rolled down Corin’s face.
“You are going to think you have to be strong every second.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You don’t.”
The room remained silent.
“Being strong does not mean carrying everything alone.”
Corin looked down.
Rory reached for his hand.
Then Daniel’s expression changed.
The warmth disappeared.
He became serious.
“Now I need to tell you about Lorraine.”
Evelyn looked at Corin.
The boy stopped breathing.
Daniel continued.
“Your aunt is dangerous.”
The words echoed.
Not because they were surprising.
But because they came from his father.
The person Corin trusted most.
Daniel leaned closer to the camera.
“She will tell you she loves this family.”
A pause.
“She will tell you she is protecting Rory.”
Another pause.
“But she is protecting something else.”
The video suddenly glitched.
The screen froze.
Then restarted.
Thomas frowned.
“That’s impossible.”
“What?”
“The file was damaged.”
Evelyn looked worried.
“Can you repair it?”
Thomas nodded slowly.
“Maybe.”
Corin stared at the frozen image of his father.
“What was he going to say?”
Nobody answered.
Because they all knew.
The missing part was probably the most important part.
Then Thomas noticed something.
A hidden file appeared.
One that had not been there before.
A file created on the same day as the video.
Its name was:
“The Person Who Caused The Accident.”
Everyone went silent.
Corin looked at the file.
Evelyn whispered:
“Daniel never showed me this.”
Thomas slowly moved the mouse.
“Should we open it?”
Corin looked at Rory.
Then at the screen.
Six weeks ago, he had lost his parents.
Today, he discovered they might have been taken from him.
His entire life had been built on a lie.
He reached forward.
“Open it.”
Thomas clicked.
The screen turned black.
A new video began loading.
And before the image appeared, a voice recording played.
A voice Corin recognized immediately.
A voice that made Evelyn’s face turn pale.
Because it belonged to the last person anyone expected.
May you like
Lorraine Bellweather.
End of Chapter 3
