Chapter 12 - THE TRUTH ABOUT DOMINIC
The words stayed in the air.
Why he was really chosen.
I looked at Dominic.
His face had gone pale.
“Dominic?”
He didn’t answer.
That scared me.
More than anything else.
Because silence had become the thing that hurt me most.
“Tell me.”
He swallowed.
“I didn’t know.”
My expression hardened.
“Don’t.”
I stepped back.
“Not again.”
He looked devastated.
“I swear, Vivienne.”
“Then explain.”
My father looked at him.
“Start talking.”
Dominic sat down.
His hands were trembling.
“When I met you, I thought it was random.”
I listened.
“But later I found out something.”
“What?”
He looked at me.
“My father left behind records.”
I frowned.
“Your father?”
“Yes.”
He took a deep breath.
“He knew your family before I ever met you.”
The room went silent.
“How?”
Dominic looked at my father.
“Because my father was one of the people who helped Richard Hale.”
My heart dropped.
“But you said you had nothing to do with him.”
“I didn’t.”
His voice cracked.
“I was a child.”
I believed him.
But I needed the truth.
Dominic continued.
“My father kept something hidden.”
“What?”
He looked at the floor.
“A financial account.”
My father’s eyes narrowed.
“What kind of account?”
“An account connected to Richard’s stolen money.”
Everyone froze.
My father stepped forward.
“And where is it?”
Dominic shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Then Eleanor laughed.
Everyone turned.
She looked almost relieved.
“Finally.”
My eyes moved to her.
“Finally what?”
She smiled.
“Finally you understand.”
I felt cold.
“Understand what?”
She looked directly at me.
“Dominic wasn’t chosen because he could help Richard.”
A pause.
“He was chosen because he could destroy you.”
The room exploded.
Dominic stood.
“That’s not true!”
Eleanor smiled.
“Isn’t it?”
She pulled out her phone.
Then showed us a message.
A message between her and Richard.
One sentence stood out.
“Once Dominic marries Vivienne, we will have access to everything.”
My stomach turned.
But then I noticed something.
A date.
The message was sent after Dominic and I were already married.
Which meant…
Dominic wasn’t part of the original plan.
He was just a piece being moved.
Dominic looked at me.
“Vivienne, I swear to you—”
I raised my hand.
Not because I wanted him silent.
Because I needed a moment.
For three years, I had wondered why his family hated me.
Why they looked at me like I was an outsider.
Why they wanted me gone.
Now I finally understood.
It was never about my clothes.
Never about my personality.
Never about whether I was “good enough.”
It was about power.
Money.
Control.
And they chose me because they thought I was the easiest person to break.
Then my father’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed instantly.
“What?”
Everyone watched him.
He listened.
Then slowly looked at me.
“Vivienne…”
My heart sank.
“What happened?”
He lowered the phone.
“Richard Hale has disappeared.”
A pause.
“And he took something with him.”
“What?”
My father’s voice became serious.
“The evidence.”
I felt a chill.
“How?”
My father looked toward the door.
Because suddenly everyone understood.
Someone inside the investigation had helped him.
Then the security alarm started screaming.
And a message appeared on the building screen.
May you like
One sentence.
“You wanted the truth. Now come find it.”
