Chapter 7 - THE MAN WHO STOOD BESIDE MY FATHER
General Samuel Hayes had been part of my life for as long as I could remember.
After my father died, he came to birthdays.
Graduations.
Military ceremonies.
When I graduated from officer training, he sent me a handwritten note.
Your father would be proud.
I had kept it for years.
Now it felt like evidence.
Ethan found me sitting alone.
"Mercer could be lying."
I laughed without humor.
"Could he?"
Ethan didn't answer.
That scared me.
The evidence came quickly.
Financial records.
Encrypted communications.
A payment made days before my father's final operation.
General Hayes' name.
Then another.
And another.
Hayes hadn't been the mastermind.
But he had known.
He had known about Robert.
About Mercer.
About the stolen money.
And according to Mercer—
Hayes had warned the people responsible when my father discovered the truth.
That warning had gotten Dad killed.
The next morning, I called Hayes.
He answered immediately.
"Natalie."
I closed my eyes.
"We need to talk."
There was a pause.
Then he said, "About what?"
I whispered, "My father."
Silence.
That was all I needed.
We arranged to meet.
Ethan wanted surveillance.
Security.
Backup.
I wanted all of it.
But Hayes was still a respected general.
We needed proof.
The meeting took place in his office.
I walked inside.
The walls were covered with photographs.
My father and Hayes.
My father laughing.
My father receiving medals.
My father standing beside the man who may have destroyed him.
Hayes looked tired.
"I wondered when this day would come."
My heart broke.
"You knew."
He nodded.
"I knew."
The words hit harder than any slap.
"Did you kill him?"
"No."
"Did you betray him?"
His eyes filled with regret.
"Yes."
I couldn't breathe.
"Why?"
He looked toward my father's photograph.
"Fear."
I laughed bitterly.
"That's everyone's excuse."
"Not an excuse."
He opened a drawer.
Inside was a sealed envelope.
My name was written on it.
"I was supposed to give you this if I ever found the courage."
I didn't touch it.
"What is it?"
"A letter from your father."
My hands shook as I opened it.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Natalie,
If Samuel gives you this, it means he finally chose the truth.
I stopped.
Tears filled my eyes.
Your mother made mistakes. Robert made crimes. Daniel made choices that destroyed lives. But Samuel...
I swallowed.
Samuel was weak.
The letter continued.
And weak people can be more dangerous than evil people when they are afraid to stand up.
I looked at Hayes.
My father had known.
Maybe not everything.
But enough.
Hayes began crying.
"I tried to stop it."
"Too late."
"Yes."
I stood.
Ethan entered the office.
Investigators followed.
Hayes didn't fight.
He simply held out his hands.
Before they led him away, he looked at me.
"I am sorry."
I believed him.
That didn't mean I forgave him.
Outside the office, Chloe was waiting.
She looked different.
No designer purse.
No champagne.
No attitude.
Just my sister.
"I didn't know," she said.
I nodded.
"I know."
She began crying.
"I hate what I did to you."
I didn't know what to say.
For years, Chloe had been the person my mother used against me.
But now I could finally see something I had never wanted to admit.
Chloe had been manipulated too.
Not innocent.
But manipulated.
She looked at me.
"Can we fix this?"
I thought about everything.
Then I said, "Not today."
Her face fell.
"But maybe someday."
That was enough.
For both of us.
Or so I thought.
Because that night, Chloe disappeared.
And she took something with her.
My father's original files.
The ones containing the names of everyone involved.
And on the table in her empty apartment, she left only one note.
I FOUND OUT WHERE THE LAST PAYMENT WENT.
I'M GOING TO GET THE TRUTH.
DON'T FOLLOW ME.
My sister had spent her entire life running from consequences.
May you like
Now she was running straight toward danger.
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