Chapter 3 - THE UNRAVELING SECRET
For three days, Ethan didn't leave the hospital. He split his time between sitting beside Diana’s hospital bed, holding her weak hand, and standing outside the glass window of the NICU, watching their tiny daughter, whom they named Lily, fight for every breath.
Chloe had called multiple times, leaving annoyed voicemails demanding to know why her credit cards had been declined. Ethan ignored every single one of them—until the fourth day, when Diana was finally awake and coherent enough to speak.
“Ethan,” Diana whispered softly, her eyes filled with residual trauma. “You need to look in my closet... in the bottom drawer, under my sweaters.”
Ethan frowned, gently stroking her forehead. “What is it, honey?”
“I... I hid something there,” she trembled, tears pool-ing in her eyes. “I was going to tell you, but I was so scared. Chloe... she wasn't just being mean to me, Ethan. She was looking for something in our house.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Looking for what?”
“Your father’s real will.”
The room went deathly silent.
“Dad’s will?” Ethan stammered. “Dad didn't have a will. He died suddenly of a heart attack. Everything went to probate.”
“No,” Diana sobbed, clutching Ethan’s hand. “Chloe found a locked box in your father’s office two months ago. She opened it. She showed me a document... she threatened me, Ethan. She said if I told you about it, she would tell everyone I was abusing her while you were at work. She forced me to do all the housework, treated me like a servant, trying to stress me out so much that I would leave or... or break down.”
A cold realization swept over Ethan. The puzzle pieces were falling into place. The sudden disrespect, the toxic behavior, the blatant attempt to push Diana to her limit.
Ethan kissed Diana’s forehead softly. “Rest now. I’m going home to get that box.”
Thirty minutes later, Ethan arrived at his family home. He unlocked the front door quietly. The house was surprisingly clean—Chloe had clearly cleared the living room out of fear, but music was blaring from the upstairs master bedroom.
Ethan walked straight into his and Diana’s bedroom. He went to the closet, pulled out the bottom drawer, moved the stacked sweaters, and found a heavy steel lockbox. The lock was broken.
Inside was a folder containing legal documents.
Ethan opened it and began to read. As his eyes skimmed the formal legal text, his blood ran ice-cold.
It wasn't just a will. It was a complete asset division draft prepared by their late father six weeks before his death.
According to the document:
The family house was left entirely to Ethan.
Ethan was appointed as the sole trustee of the family’s commercial property assets worth $2 million.
Chloe was explicitly cut out of the primary inheritance.
Attached to the back of the will was a private investigator's report. Ethan flipped through the pages, his jaw dropping.
The report contained photos of Chloe with an older, shady-looking man—a notorious local scammer and gambler named Victor Sterling. The notes revealed that Chloe had incurred over $300,000 in illegal gambling debts to Victor’s ring. Their father had discovered it right before he died.
Ethan stared at the documents, his mind racing. Chloe wasn't just acting out. She was desperate. She needed the inheritance money to pay off loan sharks. And with Diana out of the way, Chloe believed she could manipulate Ethan into signing over the property.
May you like
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open.
Chloe stood in the doorway, holding a glass of juice. When her eyes fell on the folder in Ethan’s hands, her glass shattered onto the hardwood floor.
