FORBIDDEN LOVE
"A silent investor. Convinced your father the fraud was temporary, a bridge to cover a bad quarter, promised it would never need to surface. When Marcus found it, Langford was the one who suggested the fire — said it would destroy the physical records before anyone could trace the money properly. I didn't order that fire. I swear to you both, I didn't know until after it happened. But I covered for it anyway, because by then I was already too deep in the lie to climb back out clean."
My mother made a small, broken sound beside me. "You're telling me my husband committed fraud, and your husband — " She stopped, correcting herself with visible effort. "Richard covered up an actual arson, and n