The Letter
1052 Words
Amelia did not sleep much that night.
The letter from her father remained on the kitchen table, exactly where she had left it. She had read it several times, hoping that the words would somehow make more sense.
They didn't.
Her father had written that Adrian Blackwell was not the enemy she believed him to be. He had also warned her not to trust anyone in the family.
That part bothered her most.
Who had he been talking about?
Her mother?
Her uncle Daniel?
Someone else?
Amelia picked up the letter again and read the final paragraph.
Her father had written it shortly before everything fell apart. He must have known something was coming, yet he had chosen to keep her in the dark.
She couldn't understand why.
Her phone rang.
It was Adrian.
She stared at the screen before answering.
"Hello."
"Did you read it?"
Amelia frowned.
"How did you know I had it?"
"I knew your father left something with his lawyer."
"You knew?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
There was a short silence.
"Because I wanted you to find out from your father."
Amelia looked at the letter.
"Did he trust you?"
"Yes."
The answer came so quickly that she didn't know what to say.
"How much?"
"Enough to ask me to protect you if anything happened to him."
Amelia's chest tightened.
"You never protected me."
"I tried."
"You disappeared."
"I had to."
"Why?"
Adrian was quiet.
"I'll tell you when the time is right."
Amelia shook her head even though he couldn't see her.
"Everyone keeps telling me to wait. I'm tired of waiting."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
"More than you think."
The call ended a few minutes later.
Amelia sat there thinking about his words.
She needed answers, but she didn't know where to look for them.
Her mother was the obvious choice.
By late morning, Amelia was sitting across from her in the garden.
Her mother looked at her carefully.
"You look tired."
"I didn't sleep."
"Why?"
"Because of Dad."
Her mother went quiet.
Amelia took the letter from her bag.
"He left this for me."
Her mother's eyes immediately went to the paper.
"What did he say?"
"He said someone close to the family betrayed him."
Her mother looked away.
"Amelia, you should leave the past alone."
"I've been doing that for three years."
"Then keep doing it."
"No."
Her mother looked back at her.
Amelia's voice softened.
"I can't anymore."
She showed her the letter.
"Did Dad ever tell you he was afraid of someone?"
Her mother hesitated.
"Your father was afraid of losing the company."
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
Amelia knew she was hiding something.
"What about Adrian?"
Her mother's expression changed.
"Why are you asking about him?"
"Because Dad said he wasn't responsible for what happened."
Her mother looked surprised.
"Your father trusted Adrian."
Amelia stared at her.
"You knew?"
"I knew they were working together."
"Then why did you let me believe Adrian destroyed everything?"
"I didn't know what to believe myself."
"But you knew Dad trusted him."
Her mother nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Amelia felt betrayed.
She had spent three years hating a man her father had apparently trusted.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Because your father wanted you safe."
"Everyone keeps saying that."
Her mother reached for her hand.
"Amelia, please."
She pulled her hand away.
"I need the truth."
She left before her mother could answer.
That afternoon, Amelia went straight to Adrian's office.
His assistant told her he was busy, but Adrian appeared a moment later and told her to come in.
She walked toward his desk.
"My father trusted you."
Adrian looked at her.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You wouldn't have believed me."
"Maybe I would have."
"No, you wouldn't."
She didn't argue because she knew he was probably right.
Adrian opened a drawer and took out a photograph.
He placed it on the desk.
Amelia picked it up.
Her father was standing beside Adrian.
There were two other men in the picture.
One of them was her uncle Daniel.
She looked up.
"Why is my uncle here?"
"He worked with your father."
"He was his brother."
"I know."
"What does he have to do with this?"
"I don't know yet."
Amelia sighed.
"You always say that."
"Because I'm not going to lie to you."
She looked back at the photograph.
"Do you suspect him?"
Adrian nodded.
"Money was transferred from your father's company into an account connected to one of his businesses."
Amelia's stomach tightened.
"How much?"
"Enough to cause serious problems for the company."
"Then why wasn't he arrested?"
"Because the evidence disappeared."
"How?"
"Someone got to it."
Amelia looked at him.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
She was beginning to hate those words.
Still, there was something different about Adrian now.
He wasn't trying to convince her that he was innocent.
He was simply giving her information and letting her decide what to believe.
"What happened to you three years ago?" she asked.
Adrian looked away for a moment.
"I was getting too close to the truth."
"And someone tried to stop you?"
"Yes."
"That's why you disappeared?"
"Yes."
Amelia looked down at the photograph.
Her father's warning suddenly felt more serious.
"What do you want from me?"
Adrian looked at her.
"I want you to marry me."
She already knew that.
"What else?"
"I need your help finding what your father left behind."
Amelia touched the letter inside her bag.
"You think there's something else?"
"I know there is."
"How?"
"Your father told me."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then she made her decision.
"I'll marry you."
Adrian's expression changed slightly.
"Are you sure?"
"No."
She took a breath.
"But I need answers."
"You'll get them."
"One year."
"One year."
"And don't expect me to trust you just because we're married."
"I don't."
Amelia turned toward the door.
Before she left, Adrian spoke again.
"Don't tell your uncle about the letter."
She stopped.
"Why?"
"Because if he's involved, I want to see what he does when he realizes you know more than you should."
Amelia looked back at him.
She finally understood what she had agreed to.
This wasn't just a marriage.
It was an investigation.
And she had no idea who she could trust anymore.
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