CHAPTER 3: The Dead Man in the Balcony
Emma stared at the old man as the entire underground arena fell silent.
Her father.
Colonel Richard Carter.
The hero she had watched lowered into a grave five years ago.
"No," Emma whispered. "Youâre dead."
Richard smiled coldly. "Thatâs what they needed you to believe."
Emmaâs fists trembled.
Everything inside her broke at onceâthe funeral, the folded flag, the nights she cried alone, the years she spent protecting Noah because she thought their father was gone.
"You let me bury an empty coffin?"
"I saved your life," Richard said. "And tonight, I saved your brotherâs."
Emma froze.
Noah.
Richard stepped down from the VIP balcony, his polished shoes touching the blood-stained floor.
"The hospital threat was real," he said. "But it wasnât Marcus who sent it."
Marcus laughed nervously. "Colonel, I did exactly what you asked."
Richard didnât even look at him.
Thenâ
BANG!
Marcus collapsed to the floor.
The crowd screamed.
Emma stepped back, horrified.
Richard lowered the gun calmly.
"He became useless."
Emmaâs voice shook with rage. "You kidnapped my brother to bring me here?"
Richardâs eyes darkened.
"No, Emma. I brought you here because your brother is not sick."
Her blood turned cold.
"What?"
Richard reached into his coat and pulled out a medical file.
"Noahâs kidney failure was created. Slowly. Carefully. Through medication given by someone you trusted."
Emma couldnât breathe.
"Who?"
Richard smiled.
"Your mother."
Emma staggered as if sheâd been punched.
The woman she had protectedâŠ
The woman who cried at Richardâs funeralâŠ
The woman sitting beside Noahâs hospital bed every nightâŠ
was poisoning her own son.
Then Richard leaned close and whispered the words that destroyed everything Emma believed:
"And she did it because Noah is not your brother."
Emmaâs world went silent.
Across the arena, every light suddenly shut off.
A childâs voice echoed through the speakers.
"Emma⊠donât trust Dad."
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It was Noah.
And he was crying.
