Chapter 12 — The Truth Daniel Never Knew
The message stayed on Emily’s phone all night.
She stared at it until the words blurred.
Ask Daniel what his father was hiding.
She wanted to ignore it.
She wanted to believe Daniel was different.
That he was the one person in the Harrington family who had not lied to her.
But after everything she had discovered…
Trust had become dangerous.
The next morning, Daniel found her in the library.
He immediately noticed something was wrong.
“What happened?”
Emily didn’t answer.
Instead, she placed her phone on the table.
Daniel looked at the photograph.
The color disappeared from his face.
“Where did you get this?”
“Someone sent it to me.”
Daniel picked up the phone.
His hands tightened.
“That’s my father.”
“Yes.”
“And your mother.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Emily watched him carefully.
“Did you know?”
Daniel looked at her.
“No.”
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
Emily noticed.
“Daniel.”
“I swear.”
He placed the phone down.
“I have never seen this picture before.”
Emily looked away.
“But you knew your father knew my mother.”
Daniel didn’t respond.
That was enough.
“You knew.”
Daniel sighed.
“My father mentioned Sarah once.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
Emily waited.
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“He was drunk.”
“What did he say?”
Daniel walked toward the window.
“He said he failed someone who trusted him.”
Emily’s heart tightened.
“Did you ask who?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He told me to forget it.”
Emily laughed sadly.
“Of course he did.”
Daniel turned.
“I was young, Emily.”
“I know.”
Her voice softened.
“But my whole life was destroyed because people decided I was better off not knowing.”
Daniel looked down.
“I’m sorry.”
She shook her head.
“I need answers, Daniel.”
He nodded.
“You deserve them.”
Later that day, Margaret finally revealed another secret.
She called Emily into her private sitting room.
“There is something else your mother left behind.”
Emily looked surprised.
“What?”
Margaret opened an old drawer.
Inside was a small wooden pendant.
Emily recognized it immediately.
“My mother had this.”
Margaret nodded.
“She gave it to me the night before she left.”
Emily froze.
“She came here?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night she discovered the truth about Thomas.”
Emily touched the pendant.
“Why didn’t you give this to me?”
Margaret looked ashamed.
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of Thomas?”
Margaret nodded.
“And of myself.”
Emily frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Margaret looked at the pendant.
“Because I made a choice twenty-five years ago.”
“What choice?”
Margaret’s eyes filled with tears.
“I chose protecting the Harrington name over protecting your mother.”
The confession hurt.
Even though Emily expected it.
Margaret continued.
“Sarah came to me after your father disappeared.”
Emily froze.
“Wait.”
She looked at Margaret.
“My father disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“Not died?”
Margaret shook her head.
“No.”
Emily felt dizzy.
“Then where is he?”
Margaret whispered:
“I don’t know.”
That evening, Daniel and Emily opened the pendant.
Inside was a tiny folded piece of paper.
Only four words were written.
Find him before Thomas.
Emily stared.
“Find who?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Your father.”
Before they could say anything else…
The mansion alarm suddenly activated.
Everyone rushed toward the front entrance.
Security officers were outside.
Daniel approached them.
“What happened?”
One officer handed him an envelope.
“We found this at the gate.”
Daniel opened it.
His face changed.
Emily stepped closer.
“What is it?”
Daniel slowly turned the paper around.
A single sentence was written.
Stop searching for the dead man.
May you like
Below it was a signature.
Thomas Harrington.
