The gun in his hand glinted, a cold reminder of the stakes.
My mind raced: claim the inheritance and expose Gerald’s confession, or protect the name my family had built for generations.
Elise’s breath hitched. “If you hand it over, I’ll let you walk away with the business,” she whispered, “but the truth will die with me.”
I thought of the years I had given up, the empty house, my children’s faces when they asked why Dad left.
Suddenly I heard Gerald’s voice again on the recorder, pleading, “Please, don’t let them find out.”
I felt the weight of his secret pressing against my ribs. The gun clicked, the barrel pointing at my temple.
“You decide,” Elise said, her eyes never leaving mine.
In that heartbeat, I saw the future: a fortune drenched in blood, or a quiet life where my name remained untarnished.
I swallowed, the recorder still whirring, and made my choice.
….𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒔 in Next Page
