I had never seen Daniel look at his mother the way he did that afternoon.
Not when we argued.
Not when he discovered Victor Collins had visited the mansion.
Not even when Margaret admitted that someone inside the family had been stealing money.
But when she said Richard wanted to destroy him, something changed.
Daniel looked almost afraid to ask another question.
Richard Harrison was not just an uncle to him.
He was the man Daniel had depended on after losing his father.
Robert Harrison had died five years earlier.
After that, Richard helped Daniel learn the business.
He taught him how to handle negotiations.
He introduced him to investors.
He guided him through the responsibilities of becoming chief executive of Harrison Enterprises.
Daniel had trusted him with the company.
And with much more than that.
Now Margaret stood in our living room saying Richard had betrayed that trust for years.
Daniel shook his head.
"I need you to tell me exactly what you know."
Margaret wiped her cheeks.
"Richard has been taking money from the business for a long time."
Daniel stared at her.
"How long?"
"Years."
I watched him struggle with that single word.
Years.
Not weeks.
Not one dishonest transaction.
Years of having someone close to him secretly taking from the company.
Daniel looked toward the staircase.
For a moment, I thought he might walk away.
Instead, he faced his mother again.
"You knew?"
Margaret lowered her eyes.
"I knew there was something wrong."
"Then why didn't you come to me?"
She didn't answer.
Daniel repeated the question.
This time his voice was quieter.
"Why would you hide something like that from me?"
Margaret began crying.
"Because he frightened me."
Daniel frowned.
"Richard?"
She nodded.
"He threatened me."
I felt my arms tighten around Lily.
She was asleep again.
The little white blanket covered her legs, and her head rested near the bend of my elbow.
I adjusted my hold carefully.
Daniel stood completely still.
"What did he threaten to do?"
Margaret looked toward the windows.
Then she turned back.
"He said he would tell you something about your father's last days."
Daniel's expression changed.
I could see the fear in his eyes before he spoke.
"What about Dad?"
Margaret pressed her lips together.
She seemed to be deciding whether she could continue.
Daniel waited.
For once, he did not interrupt.
Margaret finally spoke.
"Your father discovered what Richard was doing."
Daniel looked at her.
"He knew about the stolen money?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Before he died."
Daniel swallowed.
I watched him take in those words.
Robert had built Harrison Enterprises into a successful real estate company.
The business was the inheritance Daniel treasured.
He believed he was preserving what his father had created.
And now he was hearing that Robert had uncovered dishonesty inside his own family before his death.
Margaret continued.
"Your father confronted Richard."
Daniel's hands dropped to his sides.
"What happened?"
"They argued."
"About the money?"
"Yes."
Margaret nodded slowly.
"It was a terrible argument. Your father became very upset."
Daniel looked pale.
The room had become so quiet that I could hear the rain against the windows.
Then he asked the question I knew he was afraid to hear answered.
"Did Richard have something to do with Dad dying?"
Margaret shook her head.
"I can't tell you that."
Daniel stared at her.
"The doctors said it was a heart attack," she continued.
"Then why would Richard threaten you with it?"
"Because he knew how frightened I was by what happened."
Margaret looked down.
"He used that fear to keep me quiet."
Nobody spoke.
There was no proof that Richard had caused Robert's death.
Margaret did not claim there was.
But she had been carrying the knowledge of that confrontation for years.
And Richard had used it against her.
I watched Daniel close his eyes.
His face looked older than it had when he first entered the room.
I knew he was hurting.
I knew he was thinking about his father.
And I knew that hearing Richard's name connected to Robert's final days must have been devastating.
But I was hurting too.
That was the part I could not forget.
Only a short time earlier, Daniel had stood over me and accused me of stealing two million dollars.
He had called me dishonest.
He had refused to believe my explanation.
Then he had ordered me to leave our home with Lily.
Our daughter was three weeks old.
Three weeks.
I had not even recovered from giving birth.
Yet he had spoken to me as though I were someone who meant nothing to him.
I looked down at Lily.
Her face was peaceful.
She didn't know her grandmother had concealed a visitor.
She didn't know her father's uncle was suspected of stealing from the family business.
And she didn't know her own father had told us to get out.
I wanted to keep it that way.
At least while she was still so small.
Daniel opened his eyes.
He looked at me.
For the first time since Margaret began talking, he seemed to remember that I was still sitting there.
Still holding our daughter.
Still waiting for him to acknowledge what he had done.
He approached me.
"Emma, why didn't you tell me about Victor earlier?"
I looked up.
I almost couldn't believe he had asked.
"I did try."
He frowned.
"When?"
"Last night."
Daniel looked confused.
I remembered it clearly.
He had been working on his laptop.
I had gone to him because I was frightened by what I had overheard.
I didn't know whether the conversation between Margaret and Victor meant anything.
But I knew Daniel should hear about it.
I had asked him to listen.
He said he was busy.
I tried again.
He told me to stop interrupting his work.
That was the end of the conversation.
At least for him.
For me, it hadn't ended at all.
I looked directly at him.
"I told you there was something important I needed to discuss."
Daniel said nothing.
"You were on your computer."
His expression changed.
I knew he remembered.
"You said you didn't have time."
He lowered his head.
I felt tears returning.
"I wasn't trying to bother you, Daniel."
He looked at me.
"I needed you to listen."
My voice broke on the last word.
I hated that.
I wanted to sound calm.
I wanted him to understand how serious this was.
But I was exhausted, and my husband had spent the afternoon treating me like a criminal.
He stepped closer.
"Emma."
I moved back against the sofa.
"Please don't."
He stopped.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I told him what I had been trying to say all afternoon.
"We've been married for three years."
Daniel nodded.
"I trusted you."
He looked down.
"I loved you."
My eyes filled.
"And three weeks ago, I gave birth to our daughter."
He glanced toward Lily.
"Then someone accused me of taking money, and you decided I must be guilty."
Daniel's eyes were wet.
I continued.
"You didn't ask what happened to those documents."
"You didn't give me a chance to understand any of it."
"You just shouted."
He opened his mouth.
I shook my head.
"Please let me finish."
He stayed quiet.
"You told me to leave with our baby."
Daniel looked at the floor.
"I was angry."
I stared at him.
That answer hurt almost as much as the accusation.
"Being angry doesn't make what you did acceptable."
He nodded.
I waited.
There was so much I wanted to say.
So much I had been holding inside since he first accused me.
But when I looked at Lily, the words became simpler.
"She needs a father who makes her feel safe."
Daniel looked toward our daughter.
"And she needs to know that her mother deserves respect."
Tears ran down his face.
I did not feel better seeing him cry.
I had wanted him to believe me before anyone else proved I was telling the truth.
I had wanted him to remember who I was.
He wiped his eyes.
"You're right."
I looked at him.
"I know."
He took a slow breath.
"I want to put things right."
I shook my head.
"You can't make this disappear by spending money."
He didn't argue.
"I understand."
I hoped he did.
But I wasn't ready to believe that yet.
Daniel turned toward James, who was still in the room after bringing the security recordings.
"I want our attorneys contacted."
James nodded.
Daniel continued.
"Have the financial records examined. All of them."
"Yes, sir."
"And I want Victor Collins to speak with our legal team."
Margaret wiped her face.
She looked as though she wanted to say something.
Daniel noticed.
"What is it?"
She hesitated.
"Victor left something with me."
Daniel stared at her.
"What did he leave?"
"A flash drive."
The room went quiet again.
I looked toward Margaret.
She had denied Victor's visit.
Then she admitted meeting him.
Then she said he had warned her about Richard.
Now she was revealing that he had brought evidence.
Daniel stepped toward her.
"Where is it?"
Margaret looked toward the hallway.
"In your father's study."
Daniel waited.
"The locked drawer in his old desk."
I watched him leave the living room.
I remained seated with Lily.
Margaret didn't follow immediately.
I could see that she was ashamed.
But I was not ready to comfort her.
She had stood there while Daniel accused me.
She had called me dishonest.
And she had hidden information that could have helped me.
I looked away.
The white blanket was slightly loose around Lily's shoulder.
I pulled it back into place.
That small movement helped steady my hands.
A few moments later, I followed the others toward the study.
Daniel had opened the desk drawer.
In his hand was a small black flash drive.
He sat at his father's desk and connected it to his laptop.
I stood nearby with Lily.
The computer recognized the device.
Several folders appeared on the screen.
There were financial reports.
Records of bank transfers.
Internal company emails.
And a video file.
Daniel looked at the screen for a long moment.
Then he opened the recording.
A man appeared.
He was sitting in the same study.
The recording had been made five years earlier.
Daniel stopped breathing for a moment.
I saw recognition cross his face.
It was Robert Harrison.
His father.
Alive on the screen.
Daniel leaned forward.
"Dad?"
Robert looked tired.
But when he began speaking, his voice was clear.
He said that if Daniel was seeing the recording, something serious had happened.
Daniel covered his mouth.
His father continued.
He had something Daniel needed to understand about Richard.
I watched my husband's eyes fill with tears.
The man Daniel had trusted after his father's death was the same man Robert had apparently been trying to expose.
Daniel leaned closer to the screen.
And for once, there was nothing I could say that would make what he was hearing easier.
Click here to continue reading: PART 4: The Last Recording of Daniel’s Father Revealed Years of Stolen Money, but His Warning About Family Hurt My Husband Even More
Three Weeks After Giving Birth, I Sat Holding Our Daughter While My Millionaire Husband Stood Before Me in Anger
Part 3 of 10
