Chapter 6 - The Secret Buried Under The Harrington Name
I couldn’t sleep.
Not after what Callan told me.
Not after seeing Melissa’s reaction.
Something was wrong with this family.
Something much bigger than a stolen bracelet.
Bigger than a ruined lunch.
Bigger than my broken marriage.
The next morning, I decided to leave.
Not forever.
Not yet.
But I needed space.
I needed to think.
I packed a small bag.
Before I could walk out, Callan appeared.
“You’re leaving?”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
His face changed.
“After everything?”
I almost smiled.
“After everything?”
“You mean after your family humiliated me?”
“After you hit me?”
His eyes lowered.
For once, he had no argument.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology was quiet.
Almost invisible.
But it was too late.
“I don’t know who you are anymore, Callan.”
He looked hurt.
“I’m still the man you love.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“You’re the man I thought I loved.”
The words hurt him.
But they were true.
I walked past him.
Then he grabbed my arm.
Not violently.
But enough to stop me.
“Wait.”
I looked at him.
“There’s something you need to see.”
He opened his phone.
A picture appeared.
An old newspaper article.
The headline made my heart stop.
“HARRINGTON CONSTRUCTION OWNER DIES IN MYSTERIOUS ACCIDENT.”
I looked at him.
“Your father?”
He nodded.
“My family said he lost control of his car.”
“But that wasn’t true.”
“Then what happened?”
Callan looked away.
“I was sixteen.”
“I heard my parents arguing.”
“My father was planning to expose someone.”
“Who?”
He swallowed.
“I don’t know.”
“But the next day he was dead.”
I stared at the article.
“And your family covered it up?”
“Yes.”
The answer was barely a whisper.
Suddenly, everything felt connected.
The lies.
The control.
The fear.
The desperation to protect the family image.
They had been hiding secrets for years.
Then my phone rang.
It was Emma.
I answered.
Her voice sounded nervous.
“Anastasia.”
“What happened?”
“I found something.”
My heart tightened.
“What?”
“I searched the company records you asked about.”
“And?”
“There is a transfer.”
“What kind of transfer?”
“A large payment.”
“From Harrington Holdings.”
“To someone connected to your wedding.”
I froze.
“Who?”
Emma paused.
Then said the name.
“Brooklyn.”
My stomach dropped.
“Why would Brooklyn receive money from the company?”
“I don’t know.”
“But Anastasia…”
“What?”
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“The payment happened two days before your wedding.”
I looked at Callan.
He was watching me.
He already knew something was wrong.
Then Emma said the sentence that changed everything.
“Anastasia…”
“I think Brooklyn was paid to destroy your marriage.”
The room went silent.
My entire body went cold.
Because suddenly…
the slap.
The lies.
The bracelet.
The accusations.
None of it was random.
It was planned.
Someone wanted me gone.
Someone had spent money to make it happen.
And the worst part?
May you like
I still didn’t know why.
TO BE CONTINUED...
