Chapter 5: The Unraveling
The storm outside mirrored the chaos within the Brooks estate. Three hours had passed since Claire had been cast out into the freezing rain. Margaret sat alone in the drawing room, staring blankly at the fireplace. The house felt unspeakably empty.
A maid entered, holding the cedar box and the scattered letters Claire had dropped. "Ma'am? I found these on the floor where the young lady was standing."
Margaret took the box with trembling hands. She recognized Daniel’s handwriting instantly. Her breath hitched. She opened the first letter, then the next. She read his confessions of fear, his undying love for Claire, and his plea for forgiveness. But it was the final letter that made Margaret’s blood run cold.
...I gave my letters to Victoria to mail to you. She promised...
"Arthur!" Margaret's scream tore through the silent mansion, a sound of pure, maternal fury.
Arthur rushed down the stairs, alarmed. "Mother? What is it?"
She shoved the letters into his chest. "Read them! Your brother wrote these. He gave them to Victoria!"
As Arthur read, the color drained from his face. At that exact moment, his phone buzzed. It was an encrypted email from the private investigator’s firm. Arthur opened it, his eyes widening.
"Mother..." Arthur's voice was barely a whisper. "The lead investigator... he just reached out to me. He said the report I received was altered. The man working my case was fired yesterday for taking a bribe... from Victoria."
The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. Victoria had hidden the letters to keep Daniel to herself, even in death. When Claire arrived, Victoria fabricated the evidence to protect her lies and her access to the Brooks fortune.
"Where is Victoria?" Margaret demanded, her voice dropping to a deadly calm.
"In the conservatory," Arthur said, his fists clenching.
They found her lounging on a velvet sofa, scrolling through her phone. When she looked up and saw their faces, her smug smile vanished.
"You intercepted his mail," Margaret said, stepping forward, the letters clutched in her fist. "You let my son die thinking the woman he loved had abandoned him. And then you framed the mother of my grandson."
Victoria stood up, suddenly looking very small. "Margaret, you don't understand—she's nothing but trash! I was protecting this family! I belonged with Daniel!"
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"You belong nowhere near this family," Arthur roared. "I am giving you exactly five minutes to get off this property before I have you arrested for extortion and fraud."
As Victoria frantically fled into the storm, Margaret collapsed into Arthur's arms, weeping bitterly. "We have to find her, Arthur. We threw them out into the cold. We have to find my grandson."
