Chapter 3 The Things We Hide

The morning after the confrontation with her mother felt like a storm had passedbut the air was still thick with things unsaid.

Emily sat by her bedroom window, nursing a cup of coffee that had gone cold long ago. Downstairs, she could hear her father's voice echoing through the hallway, low and tense, talking on the phone. Every now and then, he paced, which was unlike him. Her father, Daniel Carter, was always composed-military-precise, emotionally restrained. If he was pacing, something was wrong.

A soft knock came at her door.

Before she could answer, the door creaked open, and her younger brother, Ryan, peeked in.

"You good?" he asked, stepping in without waiting for permission. He was seventeen, lanky, with a mess of curls and a constant expression that said, I know something you don't.

Emily gave a half-smile. "Define 'good.'"

Ryan flopped onto her bed. "Mom's in a mood. She didn't even yell at me for forgetting trash day."

"Lucky you," Emily murmured.

He sat up, more serious now. "What did you do to her?"

Emily sighed and leaned her head against the glass. "I told her the truth."

Ryan raised a brow. "About Jason?"

She nodded.

"I mean he is hot. But mom looked like she'd seen a ghost."

Emily turned sharply. "What do you mean?"

Ryan hesitated. "Last night, I came downstairs for a snack. She was on the phone. She didn't see me. She said something like 'He's back. After all these years. I told you to handle it.' Then she hung up real fast when she noticed me."

Emily's pulse quickened. He's back? After all these years?

"What time was this?"

"Like midnight. Dad was in the study. Doors closed. They argued after. I couldn't hear everything, but Dad said, 'We agreed to bury this, Evelyn. Don't drag her into it.'"

Emily stared at him. "Me?"

Ryan shrugged. "Looks like you kicked a hornet's nest."

She stood up abruptly. She couldn't sit still anymore. "Something's going on."

Ryan tilted his head. "You think Jason's involved?"

She didn't answer. Her mind was already racing.

Downstairs, the tension was heavier than ever. Her parents stopped talking the moment she walked in. Her father straightened up like a soldier. Her mother stirred her tea with unnatural calmness.

"I'm going out," Emily said, grabbing her keys.

"To see him?" her mother asked coldly.

Emily turned, challenging. "Yes."

Her mother stood. "Emily-"

But her father interrupted quietly. "Let her go."

Her mother's face twisted, hurt and angry. Emily hesitated, then left before she could be pulled into another war.

Jason's garage was quieter than usual. He was under a car, legs sticking out, grease-stained hands reaching for something she couldn't see.

"You always show up unannounced?" he called, not even looking up.

She smiled in spite of herself. "You like it."

He slid out and looked at her. His face lit up, but it faded quickly when he saw her expression. "What happened?"

She sat on the edge of the workbench. "Jason did you know my parents?"

He stiffened. "Why?"

She told him what Ryan overheard-her mother's late-night call, the argument, the cryptic words.

Jason looked down, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Jason."

He sighed. "I didn't think it'd come back to this."

Her stomach sank. "Back to what?"

He looked at her, pain in his eyes. "Your mom knew my dad."

Emily blinked. "What?"

"They weren't... together, not like that. But something happened between them. Years ago. My dad worked in finance. He was accused of embezzling from one of his clients."

Emily's breath caught. "Wait..."

"It was your dad's company. Carter Financial."

Jason nodded. "My dad said he was framed. Swore it to his deathbed. He disappeared after the charges. Everyone thought he ran."

Emily's heart pounded in her chest. "My mom said, 'He's back.'"

Jason swallowed hard. "My dad didn't run. He was blacklisted. Lost everything. And he died broke, still saying the Carters ruined him."

She stood up, shaky. "Jason are you saying"

"I didn't come here to start anything," he said. "But now that I've met you it's like the past won't stay buried."

Emily stared at him. "My parents hid this from me. All of it."

He reached for her hand. "Em, I'm not here to hurt you. I care about you. Whatever our families did it's not us."

But Emily pulled her hand away, her mind spinning. Her entire life her perfect family, her future suddenly felt like a lie.

"Jason... I need time."

And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving Jason standing in the silence of his father's past-and hers.