Nobody spoke.
My mother's final words hung in the air.
"The person who started it was someone you trusted."
I looked from her to my father.
Then to Daniel.
Finally, my eyes settled on Adrian.
Everyone seemed to know something except me.
"Who?" I asked.
My mother shook her head.
"Not here."
"Then where?"
She glanced at my father.
He gave her a warning look.
I stepped toward her.
"Mom, please."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I was trying to protect you."
"From what?"
"From the truth."
I laughed bitterly.
"Everyone keeps saying that as if the truth is some kind of monster."
My father interrupted.
"Go to your room."
"No."
His expression hardened.
"I won't tell you again."
"And I won't keep obeying you."
The words surprised even me.
For years, I had been afraid of disappointing him.
Now I was more afraid of what would happen if I continued believing his lies.
I looked at Daniel.
"You said my father owed your family a life."
He remained silent.
"Was it Samuel?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"Then who?"
He looked at my mother.
She whispered, "Enough."
I turned toward Adrian.
"You knew something."
He nodded.
"Yes."
"What?"
He hesitated.
"I knew the fire wasn't an accident."
"I already know that."
"I also knew your father wasn't the person who started it."
"Then tell me who did."
Adrian looked at my mother.
She closed her eyes.
Then he said quietly:
"Your father's brother."
My heart stopped.
"My uncle?"
"Yes."
I remembered the photograph.
The mysterious fourth man.
The man my mother had said was supposedly dead.
"But why?"
Adrian took a breath.
"Because he wanted the money."
"What money?"
"The money from the agreement between your father, the Morgans, and the Blackwoods."
I shook my head.
"This doesn't make sense."
"It will."
He stepped closer.
"Your uncle discovered that the three families had agreed to work together. He believed he was being cheated out of his share."
"And he started the fire?"
"Yes."
My mother began crying.
"He didn't mean for anyone to die."
I looked at her.
"How do you know?"
She looked away.
"Because I was there."
The world seemed to stop.
"You were there?"
She nodded.
"That night, I followed your father to the warehouse."
"Why?"
"Because I suspected he was meeting Richard."
She wiped her tears.
"When I arrived, I saw your uncle arguing with them."
"What happened next?"
She stared at the ground.
"He poured fuel around the building."
My breath caught.
"Then the fire started."
"What happened to Samuel?"
"He was trapped inside."
"But he's alive."
"Yes."
I looked at Daniel.
"How?"
He finally spoke.
"Someone rescued him."
"Who?"
Daniel looked at Adrian.
Adrian shook his head.
"That's what we're trying to find out."
Suddenly, headlights appeared outside the gates.
Everyone turned.
A black car had stopped near the entrance.
My father immediately became tense.
"Everyone inside."
"Who is that?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
The car door opened.
A man stepped out.
My mother gasped.
Daniel froze.
Adrian whispered one word.
"Impossible."
I looked at them.
"Who is he?"
My father stared at the stranger.
His face had gone completely pale.
Then the man began walking toward us.
And I recognized him.
It was the man I had been told was dead.
My father's brother.
My uncle.
He stopped at the edge of the garden.
His eyes met mine.
Then he smiled.
"I think it's time you learned why your father really chose Daniel for you."
My blood ran cold.
Because suddenly, I knew.
The wedding wasn't the beginning of my nightmare.
It was the final piece of a plan that had started ten years ago.