Chương 8
Nobody spoke.
The sentence bothered him because it sounded too familiar.
Too close to the person Claire used to be.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Rachel, we need facts.”
She laughed quietly.
“Facts.”
She touched the edge of the counter.
“That is what everyone wanted from me.”
“What happened?” Marcus asked.
Rachel looked at him.
“You want the short version.”
“Yes.”
“You will not like it.”
“I did not come here to like it.”
Rachel nodded.
“That has always been your problem.”
Marcus ignored the comment.
“Tell me.”
She took a breath.
“Six years ago, I found irregular payments moving through one of Aaron’s private accounts.”
Marcus’s face hardened.
“Aaron was already under investigation.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did nobody know?”
“Because the account was not in Aaron’s name.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Whose name?”
Rachel hesitated.
Then she said it.
“Claire Holloway.”
The room went quiet.
Marcus felt the answer hit before he understood what it meant.
“No.”
Rachel did not react.
“You do not even know what you are saying no to.”
“I know Claire.”
“No.”
Rachel’s voice stayed calm.
“You knew the version of Claire who wanted you to see her.”
Marcus looked at Noah.
The baby slept.
Unaware.
Safe.
For the moment.
Daniel shook his head.
“That does not make sense.”
Rachel looked at him.
“You were always the one who wanted things to make sense.”
“And you were always the one who assumed the worst.”
“Because I was the one cleaning up the numbers.”
The tension between them was immediate.
Old.
Marcus noticed it.
“You two knew each other better than you admitted.”
Daniel did not answer.
Rachel did.
“Yes.”
Marcus looked at Daniel.
“How long?”
“Before I worked for you.”
The answer made Marcus feel something he did not want to name.
Betrayal.
Not because Daniel had known Rachel.
Because once again, he was discovering that everyone around him had pieces of a story he never received.
“Why did nobody tell me?”
Rachel looked at him.
“Because Aaron made sure nobody could.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the truth.”
She walked to a drawer and pulled out a small envelope.
The paper was worn.
She held it for a moment before giving it to Marcus.
“I kept this because I knew someday someone would come looking.”
Marcus did not take it immediately.
“What is it?”
“A letter.”
“From who?”
Rachel looked at Noah.
“Claire.”
Marcus took it.
The handwriting on the front was unmistakable.
His fingers tightened.
“Why do you have this?”
“Because she asked me to keep it.”
“When?”
“Before she disappeared.”
Marcus looked up.
“Why would she trust you?”
Rachel gave a small, sad smile.
“She trusted very few people.”
He opened the envelope.
Inside was a single page.
Only a few lines were written.
Marcus,
If you are reading this, then I failed to keep him away from the people who wanted him.
Do not trust the story they gave you about Aaron.
Do not trust the story they gave you about me.
The truth is buried somewhere only you can reach.
I am sorry.
Claire.
Marcus read it twice.
The words were simple.
That made them worse.
Elena watched him carefully.
“What does it say?”
Marcus folded the letter.
“Nothing useful.”
She knew he was lying.
He knew she knew.
But she did not challenge him.
Not yet.
Rachel sat down.
“You need to understand something.”
Marcus remained standing.
“What?”
“Claire did not come back because she needed help.”
“Then why?”
“Because she had nowhere else to go.”
“That does not explain Noah.”
Rachel looked at him.
“Noah is not just a child in the middle of this.”
Marcus’s expression hardened.
“He is a child.”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“And that is exactly why everyone underestimated what he would mean.”
Daniel looked confused.
“What does that mean?”
Rachel looked at Marcus.
“Claire found proof that Aaron was not the person you thought he was.”
Marcus felt the old anger return.
“I already know Aaron betrayed me.”
“No.”
Rachel shook her head.
“You know the version that allowed you to move on.”
She stood and walked toward a bookshelf.
From behind a row of old novels, she pulled out a small storage device.
Marcus watched her carefully.
“What is that?”
“The reason I disappeared.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Why show us now?”
Rachel looked at him.
“Because they found me.”
She placed the device on the table.
“Six years ago, I thought hiding it would protect me.”
Her eyes moved to Noah.
“I was wrong.”
Marcus looked at the device.
“What is on it?”
Rachel did not answer immediately.
Instead, she looked toward the window.
A car had slowed down outside.
Nobody spoke.
The vehicle continued past the house.
But Rachel’s reaction did not disappear.
“What is on it?” Marcus asked again.
Rachel lowered her voice.
“Everything Aaron was trying to hide.”
Marcus reached for the device.
Rachel stopped him.
“Before you see it, you need to know something.”
“What?”
She looked directly at him.
“Once you open that file, you cannot go back to believing Claire left you.”
Marcus held her gaze.
“Why?”
Rachel’s voice was almost a whisper.
“Because she did not leave you.”
A pause.
“She was trying to protect you from what you would become if you knew the truth.”
Marcus held her gaze.
“Because she knew the truth would make me what?”
Rachel looked at the storage device.
“She knew you would try to destroy everyone responsible.”
“That is not who I am.”
Rachel gave him a tired expression.
“Isn’t it?”
The question stayed in the room longer than Marcus wanted.
Daniel looked down.
Elena watched Marcus instead of Rachel.
She saw the part of him that wanted to argue.
She also saw the part that knew the argument would not come easily.
Marcus picked up the device.
“What is the password?”
Rachel sat back.
“You do not have it.”
“Then why give it to me?”
“Because Claire knew you would find another way.”
May you like
Marcus almost smiled.
“That sounds like her.”
