CHAPTER 2: THE LIES OF THE PAST
The gala ended immediately.
Guests were escorted out.
News reporters gathered outside.
But Ethan didn't care about any of that.
He sat in a private conference room with Emma and the woman who had accompanied her.
The woman introduced herself as Sarah Collins.
Claire's closest friend.
For years she had protected Emma.
For years she had kept a secret.
And now she was finally ready to tell the truth.
Sarah's hands shook as she spoke.
"Claire never stopped loving you."
Ethan felt sick.
"Then why did she disappear?"
Tears filled Sarah's eyes.
"Because someone made her disappear."
The room fell silent.
Sarah revealed everything.
Eight years earlier, Ethan had been preparing a merger worth billions.
His family feared Claire would distract him.
They believed she came from the wrong background.
The wrong neighborhood.
The wrong social class.
Most of all, they feared she would inherit part of the Harrington fortune.
One person opposed the relationship more than anyone else.
Ethan's own mother.
Margaret Harrington.
Sarah explained how Margaret secretly paid people to separate Ethan and Claire.
Phone calls were intercepted.
Messages disappeared.
Lies were manufactured.
When Claire discovered she was pregnant, she tried repeatedly to contact Ethan.
Every attempt failed.
She believed he had abandoned her.
Meanwhile Ethan believed Claire had left voluntarily.
The deception worked perfectly.
Two lives destroyed by one carefully planned lie.
Years later Claire became ill.
Before she died, she left instructions.
When Emma turned seven, Sarah was to find Ethan and reveal the truth.
Ethan struggled to breathe.
His mother had stolen eight years.
Eight years with Claire.
Eight years with his daughter.
Eight years that could never be recovered.
Just then the conference room door opened.
Margaret Harrington entered.
Her expression remained cold and composed.
But when she saw Emma, her confidence vanished.
The little girl looked exactly like Ethan had at that age.
There was no denying it.
Margaret knew the truth had finally arrived.
And there was nowhere left to hide.