Below it were several other individuals, including a former company director, a financial adviser, and a lawyer.
Emily recognized one more name.
Daniel Hale.
Her husband.
Her breath caught.
"Why is Daniel's name there?"
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
"I cannot say without examining the surrounding records."
Alexander took the paper.
His expression became grave.
"How old is this document?"
Thomas examined the date.
"Approximately four years."
Emily stepped backward.
Four years.
That was before Daniel had proposed.
Before their wedding.
Before she had ever entered the Hale mansion.
She remembered their first meeting.
Daniel had approached her at a charity event, introduced himself, and spent the entire evening talking about books and travel.
He had seemed genuinely interested in her.
But now she wondered whether he had known her identity from the beginning.
"Grandpa..."
Alexander looked at her.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Was Daniel involved in what happened to my mother?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Thomas carefully gathered the documents.
"We need to investigate before drawing conclusions."
Emily stared at her husband's name.
She felt as though the ground beneath her had disappeared.
The man she had trusted with her future might have known about her inheritance long before she knew it existed.
And if that were true, then their entire relationship might have begun with a lie.
As they returned to the car, Emily's phone began vibrating.
It was Daniel.
She looked at the screen for several seconds before answering.
"Hello?"
"Emily."
His voice sounded exhausted.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine."
"And the baby?"
"She's fine."
Daniel exhaled.
"Thank God."
Emily closed her eyes.
"What do you want, Daniel?"
There was a long pause.
"I want to see you."
"Why?"
"Because you're my wife."
She almost laughed.
"That didn't seem important last night."
"I know. I made a mistake."
"A mistake?"
"Emily, please. I know I haven't treated you the way I should have."
She looked out at the darkening sky.
"Why are you calling now?"
"Because I miss you."
She said nothing.
Daniel continued.
"I want us to fix things. We have a baby coming. We should be together."
Emily felt a strange sadness.
Not because she wanted to return.
But because she remembered how desperately she had once wanted to hear those words.
"Daniel, I need to ask you something."
"Anything."
"Did you know who my mother was before we met?"
Silence.
Emily's heart began beating faster.
"Daniel?"
He finally answered.
"Why are you asking that?"
"Because I found a document with your name on it. It was dated four years ago."
Daniel stopped breathing for a moment.
"Where did you find it?"
Emily closed her eyes.
That was all the answer she needed.
"You knew."
"No, Emily. It's not what you think."
"Then explain it."
"My father handled some business matters involving your family. I didn't understand everything."
"But you knew."
Daniel lowered his voice.
"Emily, listen to me. I never wanted to hurt you."
She felt tears slipping down her cheeks.
"That isn't the same as loving me."
"Please don't do this."
"I trusted you."
"I know."
"No, Daniel. You don't know. You don't understand what it feels like to discover that the person you trusted most may have been hiding the truth from you since the beginning."
He tried to speak.
But Emily ended the call.
She lowered the phone.
Alexander, sitting beside her, gently took her hand.
"Are you all right?"
Emily looked at him.
"No."
Then she rested her head against the seat.
"But I will be."
Outside, the city lights began appearing one by one.
Inside the car, Emily held her mother's letter tightly.
She had spent her entire life believing that family meant loyalty, sacrifice, and unconditional love.
Now she was beginning to understand that real family was not always defined by blood.
Sometimes, it was defined by the people who stood beside you when you had nothing to offer them.
And sometimes, the greatest act of love was finding the courage to walk away from those who had mistaken your kindness for weakness.
But the truth was not finished revealing itself.
Because inside the old notebook recovered from the garden house, Thomas had discovered one final entry written in Margaret's handwriting.
It was dated only three days before she disappeared.
The Secret Someone Closest to Emily Was Hiding
Emily could not stop thinking about the final sentence in her mother's notebook.
Someone much closer to Emily has already been chosen to betray her.