Scars of Devotion

Chapter Nine – The Secret Betrayer

Emily Parker’s POV

The first clue came by accident.

Ryan was asleep on the couch, his face softened by exhaustion, the glow of the TV flickering across his scars. I tiptoed to the kitchen, flipping through the pile of unopened mail stacked on the counter. Bills, notices, and letters with the company’s logo stamped in red like wounds.

One envelope stood out. It wasn’t addressed to Ryan. It was addressed to Margaret Reed.

My chest tightened. My aunt.

I tore it open before I could stop myself. Inside was a letter from a law firm…confirming wire transfers from Carter Corp accounts to Margaret’s personal trust. The dates matched the weeks leading up to the scandal.

The blood drained from my face.

She did it.

Aunt Margaret. The woman who’d raised me on bitterness and venom, who never forgave my mother for marrying the man she wanted… She had destroyed Ryan.

For money. For revenge.

I stumbled back, the letter trembling in my hand.

Ryan stirred behind me. “Emily?” His voice was groggy.

I shoved the letter into my pocket. “Nothing. Just… bills.”

But I couldn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t stop hearing Margaret’s voice, sharp and cruel, whispering, “You’ll never be enough. Just like your mother.”

Was this her final punishment? To ruin the only man I’d ever loved?

The next day, I went to see her.

Her brownstone in Queens was the same as always: neat, cold, and smelling faintly of mothballs. She opened the door in a silk robe, her lips painted red, her eyes narrowing when she saw me.

“Well, if it isn’t the dutiful niece,” she drawled. “To what do I owe this visit?”

I pushed past her, my anger too raw for politeness. “How could you?”

She arched a brow, feigning innocence. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

I slapped the letter onto her glass coffee table. “You bled Ryan dry. You helped destroy him.”

Her laugh was low and bitter. “Helped? Darling, I orchestrated it. Do you know how satisfying it was to finally watch a Carter fall?”

My stomach twisted. “This isn’t about him. This is about my mother. You’ve been punishing me my whole life for her choices. And now you’re using Ryan to do it.”

Her face hardened, lips curling. “Your mother was a thief. She stole the only man I ever loved. And what did she get for it? A miserable marriage and an early grave. And you…” she sneered, “…you walk around with her eyes and her voice, like a constant reminder of everything I lost. Did you really think I’d let you win, Emily?”

Tears burned my eyes, but rage kept me steady. “This isn’t winning. This is cruelty. You destroyed an innocent man because you couldn’t let go of the past.”

“Innocent?” She laughed again, sharp as broken glass. “Ryan Carter is just another rich boy who thought he was untouchable. Now he knows better. And so do you.”

I wanted to scream, to break something, but my phone buzzed. Ryan’s name lit up the screen.

Margaret smirked. “Does he know yet? That the love of his life grew up in the shadow of a liar and a thief?”

I gritted my teeth. “He knows enough. He knows me.”

She leaned back, lighting a cigarette with deliberate calm. “Then he’ll leave you too. Just like your father left your mother. Just like every man eventually does.”

Her words hit like bullets, but I refused to let her see me bleed. I grabbed the letter, my voice shaking but strong. “No, Aunt Margaret. Not this time. You can’t take him from me.”

I turned and walked out, her laughter echoing after me.

When I got back, Ryan was awake, pacing, his jaw tight.

“Where were you?” His voice was clipped.

I froze. “Out. I…”

“Don’t lie to me, Emily. Not again. If you’re keeping something from me, I need to know.”

The words nearly tore me in half. I wanted to protect him. To shield him from the poison of my family. But the look in his eyes…wounded, suspicious, desperate…was too much.

I pulled the letter from my pocket and handed it to him.

His hands shook as he read. His face went pale, then hard as stone.

“Margaret.” His voice was a whisper of fury.

I nodded, tears spilling. “She hated my mother. She’s hated me. And now she’s taken everything from you, just to punish us both.”

He dropped the letter, his chest heaving. “I should have seen it. She was always circling, always asking questions at those charity galas. I thought she was harmless.”

“She’s not harmless,” I whispered. “She’s ruthless.”

He sank onto the couch, burying his face in his hands. “First my company, then my reputation, my face… and now this. Emily, I can’t fight anymore.”

My heart cracked. I knelt in front of him, forcing him to look at me. “Yes, you can. You’re Ryan Carter. You don’t give up. Not on your company. Not on yourself. And sure as hell not on us.”

His eyes searched mine, raw and broken. “And if I do? If I walk away?”

“Then I’ll drag you back,” I said fiercely. “Because I refuse to let her win. She’s spent her life trying to convince me I’m nothing. And I won’t let her destroy the one good thing I’ve built for myself.”

For a long time, neither of us spoke. The city hummed outside, muffled by the glass.

Finally, Ryan whispered, “What if she’s right? What if loving me ruins you too?”

I cupped his scarred cheek, my tears sliding onto his skin. “Then let it ruin me. Because I’d rather be ruined with you than perfect without you.”

He closed his eyes, exhaling a shuddering breath. And for the first time since the fall, I felt him begin to believe.

But in the shadows of Queens, Aunt Margaret poured another glass of wine, watching the news coverage of Ryan’s downfall with a smile.

And when her phone rang, she answered it with a silky voice.

“Yes, Adrian. Of course. We’ll finish this together.”