Chapter 8 - The Hospital Confession
I raised my arm and deployed the pepper spray directly into Daniel’s eyes.
My brother screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor and clawing at his face.
Vance panicked, throwing his hands in the air and backing away from me.
“I didn't want any part of this!” Vance yelled, completely abandoning my brother.
The attorney sprinted out the front door, leaving Daniel crying on the carpet.
I rushed over to my father and immediately dialed emergency services.
“Hold on, Dad, help is coming,” I cried, pressing my hand against his cold cheek.
The paramedics arrived less than ten minutes later.
The police arrived right behind them, arresting a blind and weeping Daniel for assault.
I rode in the back of the ambulance, holding my father’s hand as they rushed him to the hospital.
The doctors worked for two hours to stabilize his heart.
When I was finally allowed into his room, Dad looked weak but peaceful.
“You saved my life, Claire,” he whispered through his oxygen mask.
“Daniel is in police custody, Dad,” I assured him, sitting by his bedside.
“I gave the detectives the flash drive, the bank records, and Samuel Thorne’s contact information.”
“It is finally over.”
Dad shook his head slowly, squeezing my hand.
“There is one more thing you need to know about Briarwood, Claire,” he said.
I leaned in closer, listening intently to his fragile voice.
“The estate did not belong to my family,” Dad confessed.
“It belonged to your biological mother.”
I froze, staring at him in utter disbelief.
“My biological mother?” I repeated softly.
“My first wife, Elena, died when you were just a baby,” Dad explained, tears filling his eyes.
“When I married the woman you knew as Mom, we decided to raise you as her own.”
“Daniel found out the truth when he was a teenager.”
“He realized that Briarwood, and half of the company shares, legally belonged strictly to you.”
Everything suddenly made terrifying sense.
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Daniel did not just hate Samuel Thorne; he hated me.
He started the fire hoping to eliminate the rightful heir to the family fortune.
