PART 4 — The Recording
The lawyer placed a small black device on the lectern.
A soft click.
Then Emma’s voice filled the church.
Weak.
But clear.
“I know you think I don’t see it anymore,” she said.
A gasp went through the room.
Evan stepped back instinctively.
Celeste let go of his arm.
Emma’s voice continued.
“I know about the accounts you moved. I know about Celeste. And I know what you planned for me once the baby was born.”
My knees almost gave out.
The unborn child.
She knew.
Evan shook his head violently.
“No—no, this is—”
The recording continued.
“So I made sure,” Emma said softly, “that if anything happens to me, you will never touch my child’s inheritance. Ever.”
A pause.
“And I chose the only person you underestimated.”
My hands trembled for the first time.
Emma’s voice softened.
“Mom… I’m sorry I brought you back into this world of wolves.”
The recording ended.
Silence swallowed everything.
Evan stood frozen.
May you like
For the first time, the room was not looking at me.
They were looking at him.
