PART 3 — The Brother Who Wanted Me To Lose Everything
For several seconds, I couldn’t move.
The only sound in the room was the quiet beeping of Hannah’s heart monitor.
Slow.
Steady.
Alive.
But her words kept repeating in my head.
He wanted me dead.
My own brother.
Ethan Callahan.
The man who grew up beside me.
The man I trusted with my company.
The man who stood next to me at my wedding and smiled when Hannah walked down the aisle.
I had spent years believing the biggest threats in my life came from outside.
Rivals.
Enemies.
Strangers.
I never imagined the knife would come from someone sitting at my family table.
“Hannah,” I said carefully, “tell me everything.”
She shook her head weakly.
“No.”
My jaw tightened.
“You almost died.”
“I know.”
“Someone tried to hurt you.”
Her eyes filled.
“I know.”
“Then why are you still protecting him?”
Her lips trembled.
And for the first time, I saw the answer.
Not loyalty.
Not forgiveness.
Fear.
Pure fear.
“Because he told me what he would do to you.”
Her voice cracked.
“When you refused to sell the company last year… Ethan told me your enemies weren’t the problem.”
I stood frozen.
“He said the only thing keeping him from taking everything was you.”
I felt my stomach turn.
“What does that mean?”
Hannah looked at me.
“He said if you disappeared, the company would fall apart.”
My hands tightened.
“So he wanted control.”
She nodded.
“But then he realized something.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“He realized you would destroy anyone who hurt me.”
Silence.
“He realized I was the only person who could make you weak.”
The words cut deep.
Because they were true.
Three months earlier, I had convinced myself leaving Hannah was protection.
I had thought distance would save her.
But I had never considered that my absence would make her easier to attack.
I had handed Ethan exactly what he wanted.
A wife with no husband.
A woman with no protection.
A secret pregnancy.
A perfect target.
The door opened.
Ryan stepped inside.
His expression told me everything.
I immediately knew.
“What did you find?”
He looked at Hannah first.
Then me.
“Ethan wasn’t alone.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Explain.”
Ryan placed a folder on the table.
“We traced the messages. The threats. The payments.”
He opened the folder.
“Your brother has been moving money through three shell companies.”
“To who?”
Ryan hesitated.
Then:
“Private security.”
My face hardened.
“Security for what?”
Ryan looked at Hannah.
“For watching her.”
The room went cold.
Hannah closed her eyes.
Like she already knew.
“How long?” I asked.
Ryan answered quietly.
“Almost four months.”
Four months.
Meaning before the divorce.
Before I walked away.
While Hannah was still my wife.
Someone had been monitoring her.
I stood up.
“Where is Ethan?”
Ryan’s expression changed.
“Jack.”
I looked at him.
“Where?”
“He left the city.”
Of course.
A coward always runs after lighting the fire.
“Find him.”
“Already trying.”
I walked toward the window.
Manhattan stretched below.
Millions of people.
Millions of secrets.
And somewhere in that city was my brother.
The man who nearly killed my wife.
Then Hannah whispered:
“There’s something else.”
I turned.
“What?”
She looked terrified.
“He didn’t just threaten me.”
My chest tightened.
“What else did he do?”
Her hand moved over her stomach.
“He tried to make me lose the baby.”
The room went silent.
My vision blurred for a second.
“What?”
She swallowed.
“Before I left, he came to our apartment.”
I stared.
“He told me you didn’t want me anymore.”
My jaw clenched.
“He said you signed the divorce because you were ashamed of me.”
Every word felt like a weapon.
“He told me you were planning to take everything away.”
I shook my head.
“I would never.”
“I know that now.”
Her voice broke.
“But I didn’t know then.”
The woman I loved had been trapped.
Between fear.
Manipulation.
And my own cruel words.
“What happened that night?” I asked.
Hannah looked away.
“He pushed me.”
My entire body went still.
“What?”
“He pushed me down the stairs.”
The monitor beside her sped up.
I stepped forward.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“I lost consciousness.”
Her eyes filled.
“When I woke up, I was bleeding.”
My hands shook.
Not from fear.
From rage.
“And he left you there?”
“No.”
She whispered.
“He called someone.”
“Who?”
She looked at me.
“Your mother.”
My blood ran cold.
I didn’t know how long I stood there.
My family.
My brother.
My mother.
People I trusted.
People I protected.
All of them connected.
All of them lying.
The hospital suddenly felt too small.
I needed answers.
I needed justice.
But first…
I needed to make sure Hannah and my child survived.
I sat beside her bed again.
Carefully, I took her hand.
“I’m sorry.”
She looked at me.
“For what?”
“For making you face this alone.”
Her fingers weakly held mine.
“I was scared you would hate me.”
I shook my head.
“I could never hate you.”
A small, broken smile appeared.
“You said you didn’t love me.”
I closed my eyes.
“I lied.”
A tear slipped down my face.
“The truth is…”
I looked at her.
“I never stopped.”
At that exact moment, Ryan’s phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
Then his face changed.
“Jack.”
I stood.
“What?”
He lowered the phone slowly.
“We found Ethan.”
A pause.
“He’s not running.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Then where is he?”
May you like
Ryan looked toward the hospital entrance.
“He’s here.”
