Chapter 5 - The Threat Behind The Perfect Family
I stared at the message for several minutes.
My hands felt numb.
Someone knew.
Someone knew I had the footage.
Someone knew I was searching for the truth.
I looked around the guest room.
The house was completely silent.
But suddenly…
I didn’t feel alone.
I felt watched.
I immediately saved the message.
I took screenshots.
Then I sent everything to Emma.
My best friend called within seconds.
“Anastasia, what is happening?”
I closed my eyes.
“I think I married into a family that is hiding something.”
There was silence.
Then Emma asked,
“Did Callan hurt you?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t need to.
She already knew.
“Anastasia…”
Her voice softened.
“You need to leave.”
I looked toward the bedroom door.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if I leave now, they win.”
Emma was quiet.
Then she said,
“Then don’t leave.”
“Expose them.”
Those words stayed with me.
The next morning, I started investigating.
Not emotionally.
Not as a hurt wife.
But as someone searching for evidence.
I checked everything.
The timeline.
The messages.
The events before the wedding.
And then I found something strange.
The bracelet incident happened the same night Brooklyn argued with me about my family.
She had asked me something unusual.
A question I ignored at the time.
“How much money does your family actually have?”
I thought she was being rude.
Now I wondered if it was something else.
I searched through my old messages.
Then I found another conversation.
A message from Brooklyn.
Sent two weeks before my wedding.
“You really think Callan chose you because he loves you?”
I had deleted it after crying for hours.
At the time, I thought she was just jealous.
Now…
I wasn’t sure.
Maybe she knew something.
Maybe she had planned this long before the wedding.
I spent the entire day collecting information.
And then I discovered something that made my heart stop.
Callan had lied to me.
Before we got married, he told me he was expanding his company.
He told me he was building a new future.
But the documents showed something different.
His company was in financial trouble.
Serious trouble.
The Harrington empire was not as powerful as everyone believed.
They were drowning.
And then another piece fell into place.
My family’s hardware store owned several properties in Mesa.
Properties that had increased dramatically in value.
Properties that could solve many of Callan’s financial problems.
Suddenly, I remembered something Melissa said before the wedding.
“You are lucky my son gave you a chance.”
At the time, I thought she meant my background.
Now I wondered.
Did they marry me because of my family’s assets?
My stomach turned.
That night, I confronted Callan.
He was sitting in his office.
Looking at business documents.
“You lied to me.”
He looked up.
“What?”
“Your company.”
His expression changed.
“What about it?”
“You’re struggling.”
Silence.
Then he looked away.
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
“After we were married.”
I laughed.
A painful laugh.
“After I couldn’t leave?”
“That’s not fair.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“What’s not fair is you letting me believe I was loved when I was actually useful.”
His face hardened.
“That’s not true.”
“Then tell me.”
“Why did your family want me gone so badly?”
He said nothing.
That silence was my answer.
I walked away.
But before I reached the door…
Callan spoke.
“There’s something you don’t know about my family.”
I stopped.
“What?”
He looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Terrified.
“Brooklyn isn’t the only person who has secrets.”
My heart started racing.
“What does that mean?”
He looked at me.
Then whispered,
“My father didn’t die from an accident.”
I froze.
“What?”
Callan looked toward the hallway.
Like he was afraid someone was listening.
“My family lied about what happened.”
Before I could ask another question…
The office door suddenly opened.
Melissa stood there.
Her face was cold.
“Callan.”
He immediately stopped talking.
Melissa looked at me.
“You should be very careful about what questions you ask.”
Then she smiled.
A smile that made my skin crawl.
May you like
“Some truths are dangerous.”
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