Chapter 6: The Grandfather’s Choice
The accusation hung in the air.
Heavy.
Impossible.
Cruel.
I stared at my grandfather.
Theodore Astor.
The man who taught me how to read.
The man who carried me on his shoulders when I was little.
The man who sat beside my hospital bed after my mother died.
The man who always told me:
“Family protects family.”
And now everyone was looking at him like he was the enemy.
“No.”
The word left my mouth before I even realized I said it.
Richard Vance watched me carefully.
“You still want to believe him.”
“Yes.”
My answer was immediate.
Because there was one thing I knew.
My grandfather had flaws.
He was controlling.
He hid things.
He made choices without asking me.
But he loved me.
Didn't he?
Theodore looked at Richard.
His voice was cold.
“You have no right to speak about my family.”
Richard laughed.
“Your family?”
He stepped closer.
“You destroyed everyone you claimed to protect.”
The hallway became silent.
Doctors.
Nurses.
Security.
Everyone watched.
I looked at my grandfather.
“Tell me he’s lying.”
Theodore looked at me.
And that was the moment I knew.
He wasn't innocent.
Maybe not guilty.
But not innocent.
“Caroline…”
I shook my head.
“No.”
My eyes burned.
“But this time, you don’t get to choose the words.”
A long pause.
Finally, he said:
“I protected you.”
I closed my eyes.
The same excuse.
Again.
“From what?”
His voice lowered.
“From the truth.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You keep saying that like the truth is the enemy.”
Theodore looked at Lily through the glass.
“Sometimes it is.”
He walked to a nearby chair and sat.
For the first time, I saw how old he really was.
“I was twenty-five when I took control of Astor Industries.”
Nobody spoke.
“I believed power was the only thing that kept people safe.”
His eyes became distant.
“I watched my father lose everything because he trusted the wrong people.”
A pause.
“So I promised myself I would never be weak.”
I understood.
That was always his problem.
He confused control with love.
“I built walls around everyone I cared about.”
He looked at me.
“Especially you.”
Richard interrupted.
“Tell her about the night her mother died.”
Theodore froze.
My heart dropped.
There it was.
The wound.
The secret.
“Dad?”
I whispered.
He looked away.
“Your mother found evidence against Richard.”
Richard smiled.
“Not just me.”
Theodore's jaw tightened.
“Stop.”
“No.”
Richard stepped forward.
“She found evidence that your grandfather was involved too.”
My blood went cold.
I looked at Theodore.
“Is that true?”
Silence.
The longest silence of my life.
Then:
“Yes.”
My knees weakened.
Not because I didn't expect secrets.
Because I never expected that.
“What did you do?”
Theodore’s eyes filled.
“I made a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“I confronted Richard.”
“And?”
“He realized your mother knew.”
The hallway disappeared.
My mother.
Her smile.
Her voice.
Her perfume.
Gone.
“Did you know she was in danger?”
My grandfather closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The answer destroyed me.
“You knew?”
“I tried to stop it.”
“But you failed.”
His face broke.
“Yes.”
Richard spoke softly.
“Your mother wasn’t killed because she discovered a secret.”
A pause.
“She was killed because she refused to stay quiet.”
I looked at him.
“And you?”
His expression darkened.
“I tried to expose him.”
“You failed too.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
For once…
everyone admitted their failure.
A security officer approached.
“Mr. Astor.”
Theodore looked up.
“We found something.”
The officer handed him a tablet.
Theodore looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“What?”
I asked.
He didn't answer.
He handed it to me.
A video.
A hospital hallway.
Recorded twenty minutes ago.
Dr. Victor Lang.
Walking into the NICU.
Not running.
Not hiding.
Walking calmly.
And beside him…
Was Jessica.
Harrison's mistress.
My breath stopped.
“No.”
The video continued.
Jessica handed Dr. Lang a small envelope.
Then she said:
“Is the baby still alive?”
The room froze.
Theodore grabbed the tablet.
Everyone looked at each other.
Because Jessica wasn't just a selfish woman.
She was involved.
The woman who stood beside Harrison.
The woman who mocked my coat.
The woman who celebrated my pain.
She knew.
She knew my daughters were in danger.
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
Nobody spoke.
Then a familiar voice whispered:
“Caroline.”
Harrison.
My blood ran cold.
“You need to listen to me.”
I said nothing.
His breathing was shaking.
“I made a mistake.”
A pause.
“Jessica lied to me.”
My fingers tightened.
“What did she do?”
Silence.
Then Harrison said:
“She wasn’t trying to steal my life.”
A pause.
“She was trying to destroy yours.”
The call ended.
And for the first time...
I realized something terrifying.
Harrison might have been a traitor.
But he wasn't the final enemy.
May you like
The person hunting my daughters was still free.
And she had been standing beside us the entire time.
