CHAPTER 2: The Secret Inside the Will
The ride to the hospital was a blur of flashing lights and pain.
Even though I was already inside a medical clinic when Derek attacked me, the doctors insisted on sending me to the emergency room.
They were worried about internal bleeding.
They were worried about my stitches.
They were worried about injuries I couldn't even feel yet because adrenaline was flooding my body.
I lay on a hospital bed staring at the ceiling while nurses moved around me.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Derek's face.
The anger.
The entitlement.
The certainty that he could do whatever he wanted.
A police officer named Carla Ramirez sat beside the bed taking my statement.
"Has he ever assaulted you before?"
I hesitated.
The answer was yes.
But not like this.
Not publicly.
Not where witnesses could see.
Not where he couldn't deny it later.
"He shoved me once when I was nineteen."
Carla wrote something down.
"Anything else?"
I looked away.
The memories surfaced one after another.
The threats.
The intimidation.
The broken belongings.
The holes punched in walls.
The constant fear.
But none of it had ever resulted in consequences.
Because my mother always protected him.
"Derek's just angry."
"Derek didn't mean it."
"Derek is under stress."
Excuses.
Always excuses.
Carla nodded slowly.
"I think there's more."
Before I could answer, someone knocked on the hospital room door.
A lawyer stepped inside.
My lawyer.
Thomas Whitmore.
The same attorney who had handled my stepfather's estate.
His expression was grim.
"Claire, we need to talk."
The moment he sat down, I knew something was wrong.
"What's happened?"
Thomas glanced toward the police officer.
Then back at me.
"It's about the will."
My stomach tightened.
"What about it?"
He opened a folder.
Several documents rested inside.
Some I'd seen before.
Others were completely new.
"There was an additional file."
I frowned.
"Additional file?"
Thomas nodded.
"Your stepfather instructed me not to release it unless certain circumstances occurred."
A chill ran through me.
"What circumstances?"
His expression darkened.
"If Derek attempted to challenge the estate."
My heart skipped.
Because that's exactly what Derek had been doing.
For weeks.
Threatening lawsuits.
Demanding money.
Claiming the will was fraudulent.
Thomas removed a sealed envelope.
The paper looked old.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My stepfather's.
Suddenly I couldn't breathe.
He had been gone for only three months.
Seeing his handwriting felt like hearing his voice again.
Thomas carefully handed me the envelope.
I opened it with shaking fingers.
Inside was a letter.
A personal letter.
Addressed to me.
And only me.
As I began reading, tears filled my eyes.
"Claire, if you're reading this, then Derek has done exactly what I feared he would."
My chest tightened.
"There is something I never told anyone except my attorney."
I looked up.
Thomas remained silent.
Waiting.
I continued reading.
"Derek is not my biological son."
The room froze.
I stared at the page.
Certain I had misunderstood.
Read it again.
And again.
The words never changed.
Not my biological son.
My pulse hammered.
"What?"
Thomas exhaled heavily.
"I suspected that would shock you."
I looked at him.
"You knew?"
He nodded.
"Your stepfather told me years ago."
Everything suddenly felt unreal.
For over twenty years, Derek had believed he was the eldest child.
The rightful heir.
The favorite son.
Yet according to this letter...
None of it was true.
I continued reading.
"When Derek was five years old, I discovered his mother had been having an affair."
The room seemed to spin.
"I chose to raise him anyway because he was innocent."
A tear rolled down my cheek.
That sounded exactly like my stepfather.
Kind.
Patient.
Compassionate.
Even when others didn't deserve it.
The letter continued.
"I loved him as my own child. But I also knew one day the truth might matter."
I looked toward Thomas.
He quietly slid another document across the bed.
A DNA report.
Official.
Authenticated.
Undeniable.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Derek had never known.
My mother had never told him.
My stepfather had kept the secret his entire life.
Not out of cruelty.
Out of mercy.
Suddenly another question appeared.
"If Derek isn't his biological son..."
Thomas nodded slowly.
"I know."
"Then why did Dad leave him anything at all?"
The lawyer smiled sadly.
"Because he still considered him family."
That answer broke my heart.
Even after learning the truth.
Even after being betrayed.
My stepfather had still provided for him.
Had still loved him.
Had still protected him.
And Derek had responded with greed.
The realization made me sick.
A loud knock interrupted the conversation.
Officer Ramirez reentered the room.
Her face looked serious.
Very serious.
"What happened?" I asked.
She exchanged a glance with Thomas.
Then spoke.
"We searched Derek's house."
My stomach dropped.
"And?"
The officer hesitated.
Then delivered the news.
"We found documents."
"What kind?"
"Financial records."
A bad feeling formed instantly.
Officer Ramirez opened her notebook.
"Over the last six months, Derek accumulated nearly two hundred thousand dollars in gambling debt."
The room fell silent.
I stared at her.
"Two hundred thousand?"
She nodded.
"At least."
Suddenly everything made sense.
The harassment.
The obsession.
The desperation.
The threats.
He wasn't angry because of the inheritance.
He was terrified.
Terrified because he owed dangerous people money.
And he believed my share of the estate was his escape route.
But Officer Ramirez wasn't finished.
"There was something else."
My pulse quickened.
"What?"
The officer's expression darkened.
"We believe Derek knew about the secret."
Thomas immediately sat forward.
"What secret?"
Officer Ramirez looked directly at me.
"The DNA results."
My heart nearly stopped.
"What?"
She nodded.
"We found evidence suggesting someone accessed your stepfather's private records weeks ago."
The room became silent.
Very silent.
Because if Derek already knew the truth...
Then everything changed.
The inheritance wasn't his real motive.
The money wasn't his real motive.
The lawsuit wasn't his real motive.
He had been searching for something else.
Something hidden.
Something valuable enough to risk prison for.
Officer Ramirez slowly closed her notebook.
Then said the words that made my blood run cold.
"Claire, we think Derek believes your stepfather left behind another inheritance."
I frowned.
"What kind?"
The officer looked at Thomas.
The attorney looked suddenly uneasy.
Then he whispered:
"A safety deposit box."
My stomach dropped.
Because I had never heard of any safety deposit box.
And judging by Thomas's expression...
Whatever was inside it was important.
Very important.
But before anyone could say another word, my phone vibrated.
A text message.
Unknown number.
Just seven words.
YOU HAVE WHAT BELONGS TO ME.
Then another message arrived.
I'M COMING TO GET IT.
And beneath the text was a photograph.
A photograph of my apartment building.
Taken only minutes earlier.
Someone was watching me.
May you like
And I suddenly realized Derek's arrest hadn't ended this nightmare.
It had only made him more dangerous.
