{"id":6745,"date":"2026-10-12T11:59:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T11:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/?p=6745"},"modified":"2026-10-12T12:01:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T12:01:18","slug":"part-4-he-threw-his-pregnant-daughter-out-of-her-own-home-then-one-phone-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/?p=6745","title":{"rendered":"PART 4: – “He Threw His Pregnant Daughter Out of Her Own Home\u2014Then One Phone Call”"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART 4 \u2014 THE SECRET MY FATHER BURIED<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYOUR MOTHER DIDN\u2019T DIE THE WAY HE TOLD YOU.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I stared at my phone.
\nAunt Evelyn’s words kept repeating inside my head.
\nYour mother didn’t die the way he told you.
\n<\/strong>For seventeen years, I had believed my mother died in a car accident.
\nThat was the story my father had told me.
\nThat was the story printed on the papers.
\nThat was the story repeated at her funeral.
\nI had never questioned it.
\nNot once.
\nWhy would I?
\nI was seventeen.
\nMy mother was gone.
\nMy father was the only parent I had left.
\nAnd when he told me that grief would destroy me if I kept asking questions, I believed him.
\nNow I was thirty-four years old.
\nI had a daughter of my own.
\nAnd suddenly I was realizing that the foundation of my entire childhood might have been a lie.
\n\u201cAunt Evelyn,\u201d I whispered.
\n\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was silent.<\/p>\n

Then I heard her take a shaky breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause your father wasn’t the only person listening back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean that after your mother died, Charles made sure certain people disappeared from your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n

I could barely speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn’t abandon us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn began crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI begged your father to let me see you. He told me that if I came near you again, he would make sure I regretted it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha was standing across from me.<\/p>\n

She had heard everything.<\/p>\n

She mouthed:<\/p>\n

Keep her talking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAunt Evelyn, where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She hesitated.<\/p>\n

Then gave me an address.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll be there tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice became urgent.<\/p>\n

\u201cVictoria, don’t come alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if Charles finds out I’ve spoken to you, he’ll know I told you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

I swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat truth?\u201d<\/p>\n

She whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe night your mother died wasn’t an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

The call ended.<\/p>\n

I remained frozen.<\/p>\n

Samantha slowly sat beside me.<\/p>\n

\u201cVictoria.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was murdered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t know that yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Evelyn does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvelyn believes something happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha looked at the photograph of Lucas on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut neither was Lucas’s warning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked toward the nursery.<\/p>\n

My daughter was asleep.<\/p>\n

Tiny.<\/p>\n

Perfect.<\/p>\n

Protected by people she trusted.<\/p>\n

I suddenly understood why Lucas had been so afraid.<\/p>\n

Secrets didn’t stay buried.<\/p>\n

They waited.<\/p>\n

And eventually, they reached the next generation.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

THE HOUSE ON MAPLE ROAD<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The next morning, Samantha drove me to my aunt’s house.<\/p>\n

It was almost two hours away.<\/p>\n

The entire drive was silent.<\/p>\n

Neither of us knew what we were about to hear.<\/p>\n

When we arrived, an elderly woman opened the door before we even knocked.<\/p>\n

I recognized her immediately.<\/p>\n

She looked older than I remembered.<\/p>\n

Her hair was completely gray.<\/p>\n

Her hands trembled.<\/p>\n

But her eyes were the same.<\/p>\n

My mother’s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cVictoria.\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn’t move.<\/p>\n

Then she opened her arms.<\/p>\n

I stepped forward.<\/p>\n

And for the first time in seventeen years, I hugged someone who had known my mother as a person rather than a photograph.<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn held me tightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve waited so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

I started crying.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo have I.\u201d<\/p>\n

We sat in her living room.<\/p>\n

Samantha remained nearby.<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn poured tea nobody drank.<\/p>\n

Then she opened an old wooden cabinet.<\/p>\n

She removed a small box.<\/p>\n

It was covered in dust.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept these because I knew someday you would come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother’s things.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father said there was nothing left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n

She opened the box.<\/p>\n

Inside were letters.<\/p>\n

Photographs.<\/p>\n

A gold necklace.<\/p>\n

And a small cassette tape.<\/p>\n

I stared at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother recorded it three days before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Samantha.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn’t anyone give this to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Charles took it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen how do you have it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn smiled sadly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made a copy.\u201d<\/p>\n

My hands shook.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have something to play it on?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve kept an old recorder for seventeen years.\u201d<\/p>\n

She placed the cassette inside.<\/p>\n

Pressed play.<\/p>\n

Static filled the room.<\/p>\n

Then I heard a woman’s voice.<\/p>\n

My mother’s voice.<\/p>\n

I hadn’t heard it since I was seventeen.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvelyn\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n

My mother sounded tired.<\/p>\n

Frightened.<\/p>\n

But alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’re hearing this, something has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recording crackled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know who I can trust anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

I began crying.<\/p>\n

My mother continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharles has been taking money from the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha leaned forward.<\/p>\n

My heart stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe says it’s temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tape hissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it’s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mother paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has opened accounts I don’t know about. He has used company money to pay people I have never met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha looked at me.<\/p>\n

I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n

The recording continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI confronted him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A long pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me I should stop asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came the sentence that changed everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said if I didn’t, he would make sure Victoria grew up believing I abandoned her.\u201d<\/p>\n

I started shaking.<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn reached for my hand.<\/p>\n

My mother’s voice continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need you to protect my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the tape abruptly stopped.<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

I stared at the recorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat can’t be all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is more.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took out another cassette.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one is different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did you keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Charles spent years trying to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha immediately looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn inserted the second tape.<\/p>\n

Static.<\/p>\n

Then a man’s voice.<\/p>\n

Not my mother’s.<\/p>\n

A man’s voice.<\/p>\n

Low.<\/p>\n

Calm.<\/p>\n

Familiar.<\/p>\n

My father.<\/p>\n

I felt my entire body go cold.<\/p>\n

Charles was speaking to someone.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou promised me she would stay quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second voice answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour wife won’t.\u201d<\/p>\n

My father said:<\/p>\n

\u201cShe doesn’t have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second man replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

My father’s voice became angry.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has a daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

Then:<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tape ended.<\/p>\n

Nobody moved.<\/p>\n

I looked at Aunt Evelyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho was the other man?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha was already writing down the recording details.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn looked frightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt sick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn’t you take it to the police?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCharles had friends everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police told me it was a family matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Samantha.<\/p>\n

She looked furious.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was seventeen years ago,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cThe original evidence may be difficult to authenticate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we find new evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She reached into the box.<\/p>\n

This time she pulled out a photograph.<\/p>\n

It showed my mother standing beside a black car.<\/p>\n

Next to her was a man.<\/p>\n

I recognized him.<\/p>\n

I had seen his face before.<\/p>\n

In Lucas’s storage unit.<\/p>\n

On one of the financial records.<\/p>\n

I whispered his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cArthur Kane.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot personally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen how do you recognize him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of the names in Lucas’s notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn stared at us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is Arthur Kane?\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha didn’t answer.<\/p>\n

I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s connected to my father’s company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn slowly shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn’t connected to the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed at the photograph.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was connected to your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

THE MAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Samantha examined the photograph carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know when this was taken?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout a month before your mother’s death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside a bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat bank?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn named it.<\/p>\n

Samantha immediately wrote it down.<\/p>\n

Then she turned the photograph over.<\/p>\n

There was writing on the back.<\/p>\n

Three words.<\/p>\n

HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My heart pounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho wrote that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn said:<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Samantha.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis can’t be a coincidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLucas found Arthur’s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother knew Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my father was talking to someone about keeping my mother quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha closed her notebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Lucas may have discovered something that began seventeen years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

I whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second account.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if the account wasn’t created by Lucas?\u201d<\/p>\n

I understood immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think my mother knew about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn suddenly stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n

She walked into another room.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, she returned holding an old envelope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was hidden inside your mother’s sewing machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

She handed it to me.<\/p>\n

My name was written across the front.<\/p>\n

For Victoria \u2014 when she is old enough to understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My hands trembled.<\/p>\n

I opened it.<\/p>\n

Inside was a single sheet of paper.<\/p>\n

My mother had written:<\/p>\n

Victoria,<\/em><\/p>\n

If you’re reading this, then someone finally told you the truth.<\/em><\/p>\n

I stopped.<\/p>\n

My vision blurred.<\/p>\n

I continued.<\/p>\n

Your father will tell you that I was unstable.<\/em><\/p>\n

He will tell you I was confused.<\/em><\/p>\n

He will tell you I left you.<\/em><\/p>\n

None of those things are true.<\/em><\/p>\n

I pressed the letter against my chest.<\/p>\n

Then I read the next line.<\/p>\n

I stayed because I was afraid of what would happen to you if I left.<\/em><\/p>\n

My tears fell onto the paper.<\/p>\n

Then:<\/p>\n

Charles isn’t working alone.<\/em><\/p>\n

I froze.<\/p>\n

There are people inside the company who have been moving money for years.<\/em><\/p>\n

One of them is someone you will trust.<\/em><\/p>\n

I looked at Samantha.<\/p>\n

She immediately noticed my expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

I handed her the letter.<\/p>\n

She read it.<\/p>\n

Then looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone you will trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt a terrible chill.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother didn’t know who that person would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Lucas may have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha looked away.<\/p>\n

I noticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re hiding something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just looked away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVictoria\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did Lucas tell you about the people inside the company?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn’t answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSamantha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, she sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLucas told me he suspected someone close to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never gave me a name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he wasn’t certain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did he put your name in his notebook?\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha went completely still.<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn looked between us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat notebook?\u201d<\/p>\n

I realized I had said too much.<\/p>\n

But there was no turning back.<\/p>\n

I explained everything.<\/p>\n

The storage unit.<\/p>\n

The notebook.<\/p>\n

The photograph.<\/p>\n

The threatening messages.<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn listened in horror.<\/p>\n

Then she whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s one thing you haven’t considered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Lucas was investigating your father’s company\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed toward the old photograph.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026and your mother was investigating the same people seventeen years earlier\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked directly at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen maybe Lucas wasn’t killed because he discovered your father’s theft.\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt my blood run cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aunt Evelyn’s answer came softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he discovered who was really behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

THE SECOND ACCOUNT<\/strong><\/h1>\n

That afternoon, Samantha contacted a forensic accountant she trusted.<\/p>\n

We gave him copies of the financial documents.<\/p>\n

He worked for several hours.<\/p>\n

Then he called.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kind of problem?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe account you’re looking for isn’t listed under Baldwin-Gallagher Logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen whose name is it under?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was created using a trust structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose trust?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m still tracing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVictoria, there are layers of shell companies here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least six.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you identify the original beneficiary?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

Then:<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room went silent.<\/p>\n

My mother’s secret account had survived seventeen years.<\/p>\n

And somehow, Lucas had found it.<\/p>\n

I asked the accountant:<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much money is in it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cApproximately eleven million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mouth fell open.<\/p>\n

\u201cEleven million?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha looked stunned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did it come from?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re tracing that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he added:<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is something stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe account was accessed recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at Samantha.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho accessed it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n

The call ended.<\/p>\n

I stared at my phone.<\/p>\n

Someone had accessed my mother’s secret account yesterday.<\/p>\n

Someone who knew it existed.<\/p>\n

Someone who knew the password.<\/p>\n

Someone who had waited seventeen years.<\/p>\n

And then my phone buzzed.<\/p>\n

A message appeared.<\/p>\n

You should have left the past buried.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another message followed.<\/p>\n

Your mother didn’t.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then a final one:<\/p>\n

Neither did Lucas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I looked at Samantha.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re not dealing with my father anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked toward the nursery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen who are we dealing with?\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Samantha could answer, a nurse rushed into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cVictoria!\u201d<\/p>\n

I stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour daughter\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Amelia?\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe disappeared from the neonatal unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

For one second, I couldn’t understand the words.<\/p>\n

Then the room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe security alarm just went off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samantha was already moving toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse’s face was pale.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

I ran.<\/p>\n

As fast as my exhausted body could move.<\/p>\n

Down the corridor.<\/p>\n

Past the nurses.<\/p>\n

Past the security desk.<\/p>\n

Until I reached the neonatal unit.<\/p>\n

The crib was empty.<\/p>\n

Amelia was gone.<\/p>\n

I screamed her name.<\/p>\n

Then I saw something lying inside the crib.<\/p>\n

A white envelope.<\/p>\n

My name was written on it.<\/p>\n

In Lucas’s handwriting.<\/p>\n

I picked it up with trembling fingers.<\/p>\n

There were only six words on the front:<\/p>\n

Victoria, trust nobody. Not even\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rest had been torn away.<\/p>\n

I looked up.<\/p>\n

Across the hallway stood a man in a dark jacket.<\/p>\n

He was watching me.<\/p>\n

Then he turned.<\/p>\n

And disappeared through the emergency exit.<\/p>\n

I ran after him.<\/p>\n

But before I reached the door, my phone rang.<\/p>\n

Unknown number.<\/p>\n

I answered.<\/p>\n

A distorted voice whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you know why Lucas was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the call ended.<\/p>\n

I turned around.<\/p>\n

Samantha was standing behind me.<\/p>\n

Her face had gone completely white.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed toward the empty nursery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe security footage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe person who took Amelia\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I waited.<\/p>\n

Samantha looked directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn’t a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was someone who had hospital access.\u201d<\/p>\n

And suddenly, every person who had stood beside me since Lucas died became a suspect.<\/p>\n

The nurses.<\/p>\n

The doctors.<\/p>\n

The security staff.<\/p>\n

The lawyers.<\/p>\n

Even the people I thought were protecting me.<\/p>\n

But there was one thing I still didn’t know.<\/p>\n

Why would anyone take my baby?<\/p>\n

Unless Amelia wasn’t the target.<\/p>\n

Unless the person who took her was trying to force me to find something.<\/p>\n

Something Lucas had hidden.<\/p>\n

Something my mother had died protecting.<\/p>\n

Something worth eleven million dollars.<\/p>\n

And perhaps worth killing for.<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click Here to continuous Read\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b Full Ending Story\ud83d\udc49<\/span>PART(5): – “He Threw His Pregnant Daughter Out of Her Own Home\u2014Then One Phone Call”<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART 4 \u2014 THE SECRET MY FATHER BURIED \u201cYOUR MOTHER DIDN\u2019T DIE THE WAY HE TOLD YOU.\u201d I stared at my phone. Aunt Evelyn’s words kept repeating inside my head. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6745"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6749,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6745\/revisions\/6749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}