Chapter 2 - Buried Secrets
Richard Harrison did not sleep that night.
Long after the guests had left and the mansion had fallen silent, he remained alone in his study. The birthday decorations still covered the backyard, but the joyful atmosphere had vanished. Outside the large windows, rain poured over the estate, washing away footprints from the afternoon as if nature itself wanted to erase what had happened.
Richard sat behind his mahogany desk, staring at the small silver key.
For twenty-five years, he had prayed he would never see it again.
Yet there it was.
Exactly the same.
The same scratches along one side.
The same faded number engraved on its head.
17.
He reached toward it but stopped before his fingers touched the cold metal.
His hands trembled.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in," Richard said quietly.
Margaret stepped inside.
She had changed into a simple gray sweater, but her eyes were red from crying.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
Finally, she asked,
"Who is Sarah?"
Richard lowered his head.
"I told you... she was someone I knew before we met."
Margaret's expression hardened.
"Don't lie to me again."
Silence.
"I spent forty years believing I knew every chapter of your life."
She slowly placed the old photograph on the desk.
"But today I discovered there was an entire book you never told me about."
Richard closed his eyes.
"I was going to tell you."
"When?"
Another silence.
"After fifty years?"
Richard had no answer.
Margaret looked at him with disappointment instead of anger.
That hurt even more.
"Was Ethan telling the truth?"
Richard whispered,
"Part of it."
"What part?"
"I loved Sarah."
Margaret inhaled sharply.
"And?"
Richard's voice became almost inaudible.
"She disappeared."
Margaret frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I never saw her again."
Upstairs, Emily couldn't sleep either.
She replayed every second of the afternoon in her mind.
The stranger.
The photograph.
The key.
Her father's tears.
Nothing made sense.
She quietly walked down the hallway toward Richard's study.
As she approached, she heard voices through the slightly open door.
"...you abandoned her," Margaret said.
"I didn't know she was pregnant."
Emily froze.
Pregnant?
Richard answered,
"I swear to you... I never knew."
Emily's heart pounded faster.
Pregnant.
Her eyes widened.
She immediately thought of Ethan.
Could it be...
No.
That was impossible.
Or was it?
She accidentally stepped on one of the old wooden floorboards.
It creaked loudly.
The voices inside stopped.
Emily quickly walked away before they opened the door.
Across town, Ethan Carter stood in front of a modest apartment building.
Unlike the Harrison estate, this neighborhood was quiet and ordinary.
He climbed three flights of stairs before unlocking Apartment 3B.
Inside, everything was simple.
A small kitchen.
A worn sofa.
Books stacked neatly against one wall.
Family photographs covered another.
Almost every picture included the same smiling woman.
Sarah Carter.
Ethan walked to the largest frame.
He gently touched the glass.
"I found him."
His voice echoed through the empty apartment.
"I finally found him."
Behind him, another voice answered.
"You should feel better."
Ethan turned.
The older man from the black sedan entered carrying two cups of coffee.
Instead of a driver, he looked more like an old friend.
His name was Thomas.
Sarah's younger brother.
Ethan accepted the coffee.
"I thought revenge would feel different."
Thomas nodded.
"It usually does."
Ethan stared at his mother's photograph.
"I saw fear in his eyes."
"And?"
"I didn't enjoy it."
Thomas sighed.
"Your mother wouldn't have either."
Ethan smiled sadly.
"No."
"But she would have wanted the truth."
Thomas's face grew serious.
"The question is..."
He looked directly at Ethan.
"...are you ready for the whole truth yourself?"
The following morning, Emily drove to the address printed on one of the security reports.
The guards had recorded Ethan's license plate before he left.
Finding his apartment hadn't been difficult.
Finding the courage to knock on the door was another matter.
She hesitated.
Then knocked.
A few seconds later, Ethan opened the door.
Neither spoke.
"You found me quickly," he said.
Emily crossed her arms.
"You ruined my father's birthday."
"I know."
"I came for answers."
"So did I."
She looked past him into the apartment.
Her eyes immediately noticed dozens of photographs.
Most featured the same woman.
Sarah.
Ethan followed her gaze.
"My mother."
Emily stepped inside.
"I've never seen her before."
"You weren't supposed to."
He motioned toward a chair.
"Sit."
She remained standing.
"Are you my father's son?"
The question hung in the air.
Ethan looked away.
"I don't know."
Emily blinked.
"What?"
"My mother never told me."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"It's the truth."
Emily searched his face.
He wasn't lying.
"My mother loved Richard Harrison."
He paused.
"But she also loved another man."
Emily frowned.
"So... you don't know who your father is?"
Ethan slowly shook his head.
"She died before she could tell me."
Emily looked around the apartment again.
Everything was neat.
Organized.
Peaceful.
Not the home of someone obsessed with revenge.
"You don't seem like the kind of person who crashes birthday parties."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"I'm not."
"So why yesterday?"
He walked to a wooden cabinet.
Opened one drawer.
Removed a thick envelope.
He handed it to her.
"Read."
Emily carefully pulled out dozens of letters.
Every envelope was addressed to Richard Harrison.
None had ever been opened.
She looked confused.
"What are these?"
"My mother wrote one every month."
Emily read the first line.
Dear Richard...
Another.
I still believe you'll come back.
Another.
The doctor says the baby is healthy...
Emily stopped reading.
Tears filled her eyes.
"These were never sent?"
"They were."
"What?"
"They were returned."
Emily frowned.
"Returned?"
Thomas entered from the kitchen.
"They all came back unopened."
Emily looked at him.
"Who are you?"
"Thomas Carter."
Sarah's brother.
He smiled politely.
"I'm Ethan's uncle."
Emily slowly sat down.
None of this matched the image she had of her father.
"My father would've answered."
Thomas looked at her sadly.
"Would he?"
Back at Harrison Construction Headquarters, Daniel entered Richard's office.
His father was already there despite barely sleeping.
Richard was staring out the window.
"Dad."
Richard turned.
"I need to ask you something."
Richard nodded.
"Go ahead."
Daniel hesitated.
"Is Ethan my brother?"
The question hit Richard like a hammer.
"No."
Daniel noticed he hadn't actually answered.
Instead, Richard asked,
"Where's Emily?"
"I don't know."
Richard immediately reached for his phone.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
A terrible feeling settled inside him.
Because if Emily had gone looking for Ethan...
She might discover something Richard had hidden for twenty-five years.
Something far worse than an old love affair.
Emily finished reading the final letter.
There were forty-three in total.
Each one became sadder than the last.
Hope slowly turned into heartbreak.
The final letter was written only days before Sarah died.
It contained just one sentence.
I forgive you, even if you never knew what happened to us.
Emily carefully folded it.
"If my father never received these..."
She looked at Ethan.
"...who stopped them?"
Thomas answered quietly.
"That's the mystery."
Ethan nodded.
"We believed Richard ignored them."
"But now..."
Emily whispered,
"...maybe someone made sure he never saw them."
For the first time since arriving, the three of them shared the same thought.
Someone else had been involved.
Someone had wanted Sarah and Richard separated.
Someone had hidden the truth.
And if that person was still alive...
Everything they believed about the past was about to change.
Just then, Ethan's phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
His expression instantly changed.
Thomas noticed.
"What is it?"
Ethan slowly lowered the phone.
"The storage company called."
Emily frowned.
"What storage company?"
Ethan looked at the silver key hanging from his keychain.
"The key opens my mother's old storage unit."
He swallowed hard.
"They said..."
May you like
His voice became tense.
"...someone broke into it this morning."
