Chapter 47: Unraveling the Truth

The tension in the room was suffocating. Liam’s presence seemed to cast a shadow over everything, his usually confident demeanor now laced with a strange urgency that made my pulse race. Dominic, standing rigid by the door, didn’t speak, but his eyes flickered between me and his brother, a silent question lingering in the air. I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever was about to unfold would change everything.

Liam didn’t wait for anyone to speak. His gaze never leaving mine, he took a few deliberate steps forward, his movements sharp and deliberate. He was a man on a mission, and I had no doubt that whatever it was, it was important—and it was dangerous.

“Tell me what’s going on,” I demanded, trying to steady my voice despite the knot of anxiety that had formed in my stomach. Whatever this was, it wasn’t good. The fear in Liam’s eyes was too real for it to be anything else.

Liam glanced at Dominic, his expression softening for just a second, before he turned back to me. “It’s your father,” he said quietly, his voice laced with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “He’s in trouble.”

I froze. The air around me seemed to stop moving as the weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. My father. Senator Richard Sinclair. The man who had orchestrated so many of my own choices, who had been the architect of this entire nightmare that had become my life. What trouble could he possibly be in that would concern Dominic and Liam?

“What do you mean, trouble?” I asked, barely able to form the words. “What happened?”

Liam exhaled slowly, like he was about to share something he’d been holding in for far too long. “We’ve been investigating some of the deals your father’s been making. There are whispers, rumors about his involvement in some shady political transactions. And…” He trailed off, his lips tightening. “And it goes deeper than just politics.”

I felt my breath catch in my throat. My father had always been a powerful figure, but this? This was something else entirely. I turned to Dominic, my eyes searching his face, looking for any sign that he was as shocked by this as I was.

Dominic’s expression was unreadable, as usual, but I could see the shift in his posture, the subtle tension in his shoulders. He wasn’t surprised—he already knew. The realization hit me hard. Of course he knew. Of course he had been watching my father. Everything I had uncovered about Dominic’s manipulative nature suddenly clicked into place.

“Why are you telling me this now?” I demanded, my voice rising with the growing frustration inside me. “What do you want from me?”

Liam took a step closer, his eyes softening with sympathy, but I didn’t want his sympathy. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. My life had already been controlled by the men in my family, and now it seemed like they were pulling the strings again, using me as a pawn.

“We need your help,” Liam said, his voice low. “We have to stop this before it destroys everything.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Stop what? What exactly do you want me to do?”

Liam paused, running a hand through his dark hair, clearly struggling to find the right words. “You’re the key. You know your father better than anyone. You can get to him. You can make him talk.”

I swallowed hard. I hadn’t seen my father in days, but what Liam was suggesting sounded impossible. My father didn’t open up to anyone—not even me. Not after all the years of him using me, manipulating me into this arranged marriage with Dominic. He was a man driven by power, and there was no way he’d expose himself now, not with everything on the line.

“Get him to talk?” I repeated, my voice breaking as I tried to process everything Liam was saying. “You want me to confront my father? And what? Get him to tell me his deepest, darkest secrets?”

Liam nodded grimly. “Exactly. He’s been hiding something, Elena. Something big. And whatever it is, it’s dangerous—not just to your family, but to both of ours. It’s the reason your father is so determined to see this marriage through. To protect himself.”

I felt my head spin as the pieces of the puzzle slowly started to come together. My father’s corruption, the way Dominic had been involved in everything, the way our families were intertwined—it was all connected. But the gravity of it all weighed on me, pulling me down until I could barely think.

I turned to Dominic, my voice cracking with frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this? Why didn’t you warn me?”

Dominic didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked past Liam, his gaze locking onto mine with a cold intensity. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he observed me, his expression unreadable.

“I wanted to,” he said finally, his voice low and heavy with the weight of his words. “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk it, Elena. Not until we knew for sure. I couldn’t let you get involved in something that could ruin you.”

I stared at him, feeling a mixture of betrayal and disbelief. I had trusted him—despite everything he had done, despite the lies and manipulation, I had trusted him. But now, it seemed that trust had been nothing more than a lie. He had kept me in the dark, just like everyone else.

“And now?” I asked, my voice trembling with the anger I couldn’t contain. “Now that I’m already in the middle of this, you want me to fix it? You want me to clean up your mess?”

Dominic’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. “You’re the only one who can, Elena. Your father won’t listen to anyone else. If you don’t act fast, everything we’ve worked for, everything we’ve fought for, will be destroyed. This isn’t just about us anymore—it’s about both of our families.”

I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to be a part of their games, their manipulations. But despite everything, despite the hatred that churned inside me, I knew I had no choice. If I didn’t act, everything I had known—the life I had built—would crumble before my eyes.

“I’ll do it,” I said, my voice low and steady. “But not for you. Not for anyone but myself.”

Liam looked at me with a mixture of relief and gratitude. “Thank you.”

I didn’t respond, turning toward the door. There was no going back now. My family was on the brink of destruction, and if I wanted to save anything—if I wanted to get the truth out—there was only one way to do it.

But even as I stepped toward the unknown, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this was only the beginning.

And whatever came next, I would be ready.