CHAPTER 6: THE PERSON WHO BETRAYED HIM WAS CLOSER THAN HE THOUGHT
Ethan couldn’t move.
The message from Alexander Blackwood echoed inside his mind.
“The person who betrayed you the most… is standing right beside you.”
Everyone in the room became a suspect.
His mother.
Margaret.
Sophia.
The people he thought were his only allies.
The people who claimed they protected him.
Ethan slowly stepped back.
“Someone here knows the truth.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Sophia laughed quietly.
“Look at you.”
She stared at Ethan.
“Seventeen years hiding from the world, and now you finally understand how dangerous trust can be.”
Ethan looked at her.
“You knew all of this, didn’t you?”
Sophia’s expression changed.
For the first time…
She looked nervous.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
Ethan clenched his fists.
“No. I think I finally do.”
He pointed at the files.
“My whole life was destroyed because powerful people wanted money.”
He looked at Amelia.
“I lost my father.”
Then at Margaret.
“I lost everyone I trusted.”
Finally, he looked at Sophia.
“And you were there the whole time.”
Sophia remained silent.
That silence was enough.
Ethan’s heart sank.
“You knew.”
Margaret immediately stepped forward.
“Ethan, listen to me. It’s not what you think.”
But Ethan shook his head.
“Everyone says that.”
He looked around the room.
“Everyone has a reason. Everyone has a secret.”
Then Amelia walked toward him.
“Ethan…”
He turned away.
“I spent my entire life believing my family was gone.”
His voice cracked.
“And now I find out everyone was alive, everyone knew something, and nobody told me.”
Amelia started crying.
“I was trying to protect you.”
Ethan looked at her.
“From what?”
Before Amelia could answer…
The lights suddenly went out.
A loud explosion shook the underground room.
The walls trembled.
Someone had found them.
Margaret immediately grabbed Ethan.
“We need to leave. Now!”
Gunshots echoed from above.
The secret room that had protected Daniel’s truth for years was being attacked.
Sophia looked terrified.
“They found us.”
Ethan stared at her.
“Who?”
Sophia whispered:
“The Crimson Circle.”
The name sent chills through everyone.
Because this wasn’t just an enemy.
It was an organization that had controlled governments, companies, and powerful families for decades.
Margaret opened a hidden door behind the files.
“There is one way out.”
Everyone rushed inside the tunnel.
But Ethan noticed something.
Sophia wasn’t following them.
She was standing in the room.
Holding a small device.
“What are you doing?”
Sophia looked at him.
For a moment, Ethan saw sadness in her eyes.
Then she pressed the button.
The entire room started counting down.
10…
Ethan froze.
“What did you do?”
Sophia looked away.
“I’m destroying everything your father left behind.”
“Why?”
The countdown continued.
7… 6…
Sophia whispered:
“Because if they find these files, they won’t just come after you.”
She looked at Amelia.
“They will kill everyone you love.”
Ethan stared at her.
“You’re protecting us?”
Sophia looked at him sadly.
“I’ve been protecting you since the day you were born.”
Everyone went silent.
Ethan was confused.
“But Daniel said you betrayed us.”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears.
“Daniel didn’t know the whole truth.”
The countdown reached its final seconds.
3… 2… 1…
A massive explosion destroyed the secret room.
Smoke filled the tunnel.
When Ethan opened his eyes…
Sophia was gone.
Only one thing remained.
A small envelope lying on the ground.
Ethan picked it up.
On the front were four words:
“For Ethan. From Daniel.”
His hands trembled as he opened it.
Inside was a letter.
The first sentence immediately changed everything:
“Ethan, if you are reading this, then Sophia has already sacrificed herself to save you.”
Ethan froze.
The second sentence was even more shocking:
“I lied to you about Sophia. She was never your enemy.”
Ethan looked at Amelia and Margaret.
Nobody said a word.
Because everyone finally realized…
The person they suspected the most…
Was the person who had been protecting Ethan all along.
But Daniel’s letter wasn’t finished.
At the bottom was one final warning:
“The person who truly destroyed our family is not Alexander Blackwood.”
A cold feeling went through Ethan.
Then he read the final line.
“Ethan… the real enemy is someone you call every day.”
Ethan’s face turned pale.
Because there was only one person who still had access to his life.
One person who knew where he was.
One person who had always acted like they cared.
His best friend.
The person he trusted more than anyone.
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And now…
Ethan had to find out if his closest friend was the biggest traitor of all.
