CHAPTER TWO — THE TRUTH IN THE RAIN
Emily’s breath caught. She had not seen Thomas Carter in six years.
Her father had built Carter International from a small shipping office into one of the largest privately owned logistics companies on the East Coast. After Emily’s mother died, grief turned every conversation between them into a battle. Emily walked away from his wealth and built a modest company of her own.
Adrian knew she was estranged from her father. He had assumed that meant abandoned.
He was wrong.
Thomas crossed the courtyard and knelt beside Emily, ignoring the rain soaking his coat.
“Dad,” she whispered.
His face broke when he saw the bruise on her wrist. “The ambulance is two minutes away.”
Vivian recovered first. “Mr. Carter, this is a private family matter.”
Thomas stood. “You pushed a pregnant woman down a flight of stairs. There is nothing private about it.”
Adrian stepped forward. “It was an accident.”
Thomas looked at the phone in his hand. “Then your recording should prove that.”
Two black SUVs entered the gates. Thomas’s attorney and head of security emerged, followed by a local detective Emily recognized. She had contacted him after discovering the stolen funds but had been too frightened to file a formal complaint without proof.
Thomas opened a dark leather folder.
Inside was the original ownership agreement for Emily’s company, bank records, transfer authorizations, and a court order freezing Adrian’s accounts.
Adrian stared at the documents. “You had no right.”
“I had every right,” Emily said, forcing herself upright with her father’s help. “I asked for the audit.”
The smugness drained from Adrian’s face.
Thomas turned a page. “Your wife owns seventy percent of Carter Urban Design. Carter International purchased the remaining thirty percent last month to protect it from hostile control. Every transfer you made is documented.”
Vivian pressed a hand to her chest. “This is absurd.”
Thomas’s attorney answered calmly. “It is also wire fraud, forgery, conspiracy, and assault—depending on what the video shows.”
Adrian tried to delete the recording.
The detective took the phone from his hand.
At that moment, Emily doubled over.
Warm liquid ran down her legs.
“My water broke,” she whispered.
Paramedics rushed through the gates, placed Emily on a stretcher, and checked the baby’s heartbeat. Thomas stayed beside her, gripping her hand.
Adrian tried to approach. “Emily, listen to me. We can fix this.”
She looked at the man she had loved and finally saw him clearly: someone who had watched her fall and chosen a camera over compassion.
“No,” she said. “You had three years to fix it.”
The detective blocked Adrian’s path as the ambulance doors closed.
Inside, Thomas sat beside his daughter.
“I should have come sooner,” he said.
“I should have called sooner.”
Thomas kissed her forehead. “Then we both stop wasting time.”
May you like
As the ambulance sped toward the hospital, Emily heard the rapid, steady beat of her baby’s heart.
For the first time that night, she believed they might both survive.
