part 3
Part 3
The wedding march continued playing outside.
Inside the small bathroom corridor, nobody moved.
Ethan stared at Olivia as if seeing her for the first time.
"What do you mean he didn't die in an accident?"
Olivia's breathing became uneven.
Emma clung to her dress.
The little girl clearly didn't understand what was happening, but she knew enough to be afraid.
"Ethan," Olivia whispered, "we don't have time for this here."
"No."
His voice cut through the room like glass.
"We have exactly enough time."
The music swelled in the ballroom.
Guests were probably standing.
Waiting.
Smiling.
Completely unaware that the wedding had already fallen apart.
Olivia closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she looked exhausted.
Like someone who had been carrying a secret for years.
"Seven years ago, Noah came to see me."
Ethan remained silent.
"He was terrified."
"What are you talking about?"
"He said he found something."
Olivia's gaze drifted toward the photograph in Ethan's hand.
"Something involving your family's company."
Ethan frowned.
His family owned Carter Maritime Holdings, one of the largest shipping companies on the East Coast.
His father had built it from nothing.
His older brother had been expected to inherit it.
Until he disappeared.
"Noah thought someone was stealing money."
Olivia swallowed.
"Millions of dollars."
Ethan's pulse quickened.
"He believed company records were being altered."
"By who?"
Olivia hesitated.
And that hesitation terrified him.
Because there was only one reason to hesitate.
"You know."
She nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Before Ethan could speak, another voice suddenly echoed from the hallway.
"Olivia?"
Everyone froze.
The voice belonged to Ethan's father.
Richard Carter.
The man waiting to walk his future daughter-in-law down the aisle.
The man who had spent seven years grieving Noah.
Or pretending to.
Olivia went completely pale.
Ethan noticed immediately.
She wasn't scared of being caught.
She was scared of him.
Richard stepped into view a second later.
Elegant black tuxedo.
Silver hair.
Perfect smile.
The image of a respected businessman.
Until he saw the photograph.
The smile vanished.
Instantly.
His eyes locked onto the picture in Ethan's hand.
And for the briefest moment...
Fear appeared.
Real fear.
Then it disappeared.
"So this is where everyone is."
Richard's voice remained calm.
Too calm.
Ethan looked between them.
His father.
Olivia.
Emma.
Nobody was acting normally.
Nobody.
"Do you know what this is?" Ethan asked, holding up the photograph.
Richard barely glanced at it.
"A very old picture."
Olivia suddenly spoke.
"No."
Richard turned toward her.
The tension in the room became unbearable.
"No more lies."
Richard's expression hardened.
"Olivia."
"Not today."
Ethan felt his stomach drop.
Because this wasn't the conversation of people hiding an embarrassing secret.
This was the conversation of people hiding something dangerous.
Olivia looked directly at Richard Carter.
And for the first time since Ethan had met her...
She looked furious.
"You told everyone Noah was unstable."
Richard said nothing.
"You told police he was paranoid."
Still nothing.
"You told his family he probably fell overboard."
Ethan felt the blood drain from his face.
"What is she talking about?"
Richard's jaw tightened.
"Ethan, this is not the place."
"Then tell me the place."
Nobody answered.
Then Emma did.
The little girl pointed toward Richard.
And quietly said:
"That's the man Daddy was scared of."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Richard Carter slowly turned toward the child.
And the look in his eyes made Olivia instantly pull Emma behind her.
Ethan had never seen that look before.
Never.
Not in his entire life.
Because for one terrible second...
His father looked less like a grieving parent...
And more like a man whose secret had just walked into the room.
Then Richard spoke.
Very softly.
"Olivia, you should have stayed quiet."
And that's when Ethan realized the wedding was no longer the most important thing happening that day.
May you like
His brother's disappearance had never been an accident.
And the man standing twenty feet away might know exactly what happened.
