Chapter 17: The Marriage Was a Lie

Liam's POV

I barely slept that night.

Ethan's final question kept replaying in my head.

"Why did Gwen really marry you?"

For years, I'd believed our marriage began with love.

I'd met Gwen in college. She had been bright, ambitious, and stubborn, and I'd fallen for her almost immediately.

I remembered how she'd looked at me on the day I proposed.

She had smiled through her tears and whispered, "Liam, I'll never leave you."

But now every memory felt different.

I started digging through old files.

Our marriage certificate.

Bank records.

College documents.

Old photographs.

Then I found something I'd never seen before.

A letter.

It was tucked inside an old folder belonging to my father.

The envelope had never been opened.

My name was written across the front in my father's handwriting.

I tore it open with shaking hands.

"Liam, if you're reading this, something has happened that I never wanted you to know about."

My heart began pounding.

"Years ago, Ethan discovered that several people were trying to take control of our family's company. I believed the threat had been dealt with, but I was wrong."

I kept reading.

"One of those people had a connection to Gwen Dalton's family."

I stopped breathing.

"I don't know whether Gwen is involved. But if she ever approaches you again, be careful. Do not trust anyone simply because they claim to love you."

The letter slipped from my fingers.

Gwen had approached me first.

Gwen had insisted we stay together when I wanted to leave.

Gwen had always been strangely interested in my family's business.

And shortly after our marriage, she had convinced me to give up the overseas position that would have placed me on the board of my father's company.

I suddenly understood why.

She hadn't wanted me there.

She'd wanted me away from the business.

My phone rang.

It was Gwen's lawyer.

"Mr. Morrison, Ms. Dalton wants to speak with you."

"Why?"

"She says she finally knows who was behind everything."

I hesitated.

"Where?"

"The courthouse. She wants to cooperate with the investigation."

I agreed.

...

Third-Person POV

Gwen was brought into the courthouse under police escort.

Her face was pale, and she looked nothing like the confident woman who had once walked through her company's halls.

When Liam entered the room, she immediately stood.

"Liam."

He didn't answer.

Gwen lowered her eyes.

"I know you hate me."

"You don't know anything about what I feel anymore."

She flinched.

"You're right."

She took a shaky breath.

"I lied to you about Pierce. I lied about the money. I lied about the accident."

Liam's jaw tightened.

"But I didn't know Ethan was alive."

His eyes narrowed.

"What did you know?"

"Your brother contacted me before our marriage."

Silence filled the room.

"He told me your family had ruined his life. He said your father had stolen everything from him."

"And you believed him?"

"I was young. I believed him."

Gwen's eyes filled with tears.

"He told me that if I married you, I could help him regain control of the company."

Liam stared at her.

"So our marriage was a setup."

"At first."

She swallowed hard.

"But I really did fall in love with you."

Liam laughed bitterly.

"You had a strange way of showing it."

"I know."

"And Andy?"

Gwen's face crumpled.

"Andy was never part of the plan."

"But you still let him die."

She covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

"I thought I could save Pierce and come back before anything happened. I thought I could fix everything afterward."

"You always thought there would be an afterward."

Gwen couldn't answer.

Liam stepped closer.

"There wasn't one for Andy."

Her shoulders shook.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't bring him back."

An investigator entered the room.

"Mr. Morrison, we found Ethan."

Liam turned immediately.

"Where?"

"He's been hiding in a property owned by one of Pierce's companies."

Gwen looked up in shock.

"Pierce knew?"

"Pierce helped him hide."

The investigator placed a photograph on the table.

It showed Ethan standing beside Pierce.

And beside them was another man.

Liam stared at the photograph.

He recognized him immediately.

Dr. Marcus Hale.

The three men had been working together.

But there was one detail that made Liam's blood run cold.

Behind them was a whiteboard covered in photographs.

One photograph showed Liam.

Another showed Gwen.

And in the center was a picture of Andy.

Underneath it, someone had written a single word.

"Leverage."

Liam's hands curled into fists.

Andy hadn't been the target because of his blood alone.

His existence had been used to control both of his parents.

And now Liam finally understood.

This had never been a simple affair.

It had been a plan years in the making.

And he was the last piece they needed to destroy.