Chapter 5 - My Son Discovered Why His Father Really DiedThe truth came from a warehouse.
A forgotten one.
One Aaron had rented under another name.
Gino found it through the chip.
Inside were boxes.
Photographs.
Ledgers.
Voice recordings.
And a safe.
Noah stood beside me.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“What if we don't open it?”
I looked at him.
“We do.”
He nodded.
Gino opened the safe.
Inside was another letter.
Aaron's handwriting.
Beth,
I'm sorry.
If you're reading this, the people who killed me were never after the money.
My heart stopped.
Gino read silently.
Then handed it to me.
I continued.
They were after Noah.
I dropped the letter.
“What?”
Gino caught it.
He read the next lines.
Our son has a legal inheritance connected to the original Lawson shipping trust.
The Corsey family has tried to gain access to it for years.
If they fail to marry Noah into their family, they may try to eliminate him.
Noah stared at me.
“That means…”
“Yes.”
His voice cracked.
“My father knew.”
“Yes.”
“And he died protecting me.”
I hugged him.
He cried.
Gino stood nearby.
Then another piece of paper fell from the safe.
A medical report.
Aaron's official accident report.
Except the original.
The real report.
The truck's brakes had been cut.
I felt the room spin.
He hadn't died in an accident.
He had been murdered.
The final page listed a witness.
Gino Bellante.
Noah looked at him.
“You saw it?”
Gino nodded.
“I arrived before the police.”
“Why didn't you tell us?”
“Because the man who did it had your mother watched.”
I stared.
“Who?”
Gino hesitated.
“Marco Corsey.”
My blood froze.
“Did Helen know?”
“I'm still investigating.”
We didn't have to wait long.
Helen showed up at the bakery the next morning.
Alone.
She looked tired.
“Beth.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk.”
“No.”
She looked at Noah.
“Please.”
Noah shook his head.
“What you did to my mother…”
“I was trying to protect Chloe.”
“You used me.”
“I did.”
The admission surprised all of us.
Helen looked at me.
“But I never wanted Aaron dead.”
Gino stepped forward.
“Who did?”
Helen's eyes filled.
“Marco.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“Because Aaron found out about the trust.”
“And you helped him?”
“I tried.”
“By pretending to care about Noah?”
She cried.
“I do care.”
“Then why?”
“Because Marco threatened Chloe.”
Gino's expression hardened.
“Where is he?”
Helen shook her head.
“I don't know.”
But the answer arrived that night.
Marco sent a message.
One line.
BRING ME THE RING.
May you like
Then another.
OR NOAH DOESN'T SEE THIRTY.
Related Stories
