Chapter Fifty Eight

Nothing scared Margaret more than the chance that Thomas Reed knew the truth, even though she had dealt with business opponents, blackmailers, and men who thought that money could buy her compliance.

She reopened the letter and locked the door to her study. She read it again with more zest this time.

I know what happened the night Emily's parents died.

Thomas's name below those lines seemed like a death threat.

Margaret had convinced herself for years that Emily's parents had died in a tragic accident. She had told the tale so many times that even she was practically convinced.

However, she recalled the phone call that happened that night.

She recalled the panic in the voice on the other end.

She also recalled the letter that Thomas had sent her three days later.

It had never been opened by her.

She did so not out of disinterest in the contents but out of fear for the price she would have to pay to learn about them.

She went to the study, unlocked a little cabinet, and pulled out an old leather folder.

Documents from the period of her becoming Emily's guardian were inside. A sealed envelope, yellowed with age, lay beneath them.

Her name was on the front, according to Thomas.

Margaret's hands were shaking.

She had spent years safeguarding the position she achieved after Emily's parents passed away. She had witnessed her family's fortune vanish as she grew up, and she had vowed that she would never be helpless again.

The promise had devolved into an excuse.

She reassured herself that she could replace the money she transferred from Emily's trust. She told herself she was protecting the family every time she hid a document.

However, the reality was easier.

Margaret was worried about losing everything once again.

She grabbed a letter opener and set the envelope on her desk.

Her phone rang before she had a chance to open the seal.

It was Ryan.

"What do you want?" Margaret asked.

"Why are you trying to dodge me?" Ryan responded.

"I'm not trying to ignore you."

"Without answering a single question, you brought our previous talk to a close."

Margaret said, "Maybe you should quit asking questions that have no good answers."

Ryan exhaled.

"I'm trying to help."

"Then help by ignoring the past," Margaret said as she laid her eyes on an old document.

"Is that what you said to Emily's parents?" Ryan asked.

The room was quiet for a while.

Margaret's grip on the phone grew firmer.

"What did you say?" Asked Margaret.

Ryan seemed just as surprised by his question.

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to figure out why you get afraid when they're mentioned."

"Your imagination is going crazy," Margaret said.

"Maybe," Ryan stated. "But you taught me that people who have nothing to hide don't act in this manner."

Margaret shut her eyes.

She wanted to tell him to stop before he discovered something that would alter his perception of her forever.

"You have always resembled your father too closely," she remarked instead.

Ryan became silent.

"Is that intended to be offensive?" asked Ryan.

"No," Margaret answered. "It's a warning."

"Regarding what?"

Margaret looked at the envelope.

"About believing that the cost of discovering every truth is justified."

Ryan hung up the phone without saying anything further.

Margaret lowered her phone.

He could not be stopped by her.

And now she wasn't certain she wanted to.

Emily was attempting to focus on the inheritance records while sitting with Sophia on the other side of the city.

Her mind repeatedly thought about Damian's speech.

She could feel him retreating whenever he considered the baby's paternity, even though he had stated he wasn't leaving.

He was adored by her.

His skepticism was what caused him so much suffering.

"You're not reading any of that," Sophia said as she moved the papers out of the way.

Emily was able to muster a tired grin.

"I'm giving it my best."

"You're thinking about Damian."

Emily acknowledged it.

"He claims he trusts me, but he keeps asking about the timing."

Sophia mellowed.

"He might be afraid."

Emily said, "Me too." "But I won't ask him to demonstrate his affection for me."

Sophia grabbed her hand.

"Then let him choose the type of person he wants to be."

They had their hands together, and Emily lowered her gaze.

She wished to believe that Damian would opt for trust.

He simply couldn't pledge to himself that he would.

Her phone beeped.

She checked who it was and saw that it was Damian.

She answered it.

Emily said, "Hello."

"I wanted to see how you were doing," Damian answered.

"Everything's okay with me."

"Are you certain?"

She almost informed him that she missed him, that she needed him by her side, and that his indecision was hurting her more than she cared to confess.

"You don't need to worry about me," she retorted.

"I am concerned about you," Damian answered.

"Perhaps you ought to put your faith in me, then."

He grew silent.

Emily was hopeful that he would say something to close the gap between them.

Damian finally spoke.

"I'm putting forth the effort, Emily."

She shut her eyes.

"Well, you have to keep trying."

She didn't say anything else after that. And Damian ended the call.

Meanwhile, Margaret opened Thomas' envelope that night at last.

There was a single page with a list of dates and names inside.

The first name was instantly recognized by her.

Victor Knight.

Thomas Reed came in second.

She was terrified by the third.

Ryan Carter.

Thomas had written a single phrase at the bottom:

Margaret, ask your son what his father did that evening if you really want to know what happened.

Margaret collapsed into her chair.

Years had passed since Ryan's father passed away.

And suddenly, she understood why Thomas had gone.

He wasn't running away from her.

Ryan had been under his protection.

Margaret stared at the page, with her mouth shaking.

She subsequently saw something she had overlooked.

The document was signed three days prior to the deaths of Emily's parents.

Additionally, there was a handwritten note beneath the date.

Never should the child find out what her father uncovered.

Margaret's head was slowly elevated.

Emily's parents' deaths, she had assumed for years, was the start of the secret.

She was now afraid that they had only marked the beginning of a cover-up.