{"id":10422,"date":"2026-09-13T17:55:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T17:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=10422"},"modified":"2026-09-13T17:55:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T17:55:45","slug":"part-12-my-mother-finally-told-me-what-happened-before-my-father-died-revealing-that-victors-betrayal-began-with-a-pact-he-once-made-to-expose-himself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=10422","title":{"rendered":"PART 12 \u2013 My Mother Finally Told Me What Happened Before My Father Died, Revealing That Victor\u2019s Betrayal Began With a Pact He Once Made to Expose Himself"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I did not believe her.<\/p>\n<p>Not because the claim was impossible.<\/p>\n<p>Impossible had become meaningless.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t believe her because Victor had spent the past twenty-four hours threatening my daughter, manipulating Donald, controlling Rachel and trying to recover evidence of crimes he clearly wanted buried.<\/p>\n<p>Men like that did not build restitution plans.<\/p>\n<p>My mother saw it in my face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not asking you to forgive him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m asking you to understand where this began.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne closed the front curtains.<\/p>\n<p>Detective Ruiz remained near the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>Donald stood beside me, rigid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father tried to expose himself?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She sat at the dining table.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since I saw her alive, she looked her age.<\/p>\n<p>Older, perhaps.<\/p>\n<p>Eleven stolen years showed themselves in her hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>She accepted that.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne placed a folder on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel, Victor, Evelyn and I created the first restitution structure twenty-three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at my mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew before Dad died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlmost everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another betrayal.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe not.<\/p>\n<p>Still a betrayal.<\/p>\n<p>My mother continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe original pharmaceutical operation began as legitimate research. Samuel provided capital. Victor handled distribution and corporate structure. Mercer managed clinical work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgustin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo young to understand the full picture at first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRachel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMostly outside it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald folded his arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knew Victor moved money through questionable accounts. She didn\u2019t know about human trials until later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen how did Victor go from partner to murderer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother flinched at the word.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSlowly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That answer was more frightening than if she had said greed.<\/p>\n<p>She explained that the first violations had been presented as emergency exceptions.<\/p>\n<p>Patients too sick for standard treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Compassionate use.<\/p>\n<p>Incomplete documentation.<\/p>\n<p>Then came subjects who did not fully understand consent forms.<\/p>\n<p>Then falsified signatures.<\/p>\n<p>Then trials hidden from regulators.<\/p>\n<p>By the time Samuel and Victor understood Mercer had crossed legal boundaries, the company had already generated massive profits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t they stop him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo late.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone in this story becomes brave after the worst part.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The admission robbed me of some anger.<\/p>\n<p>Not enough.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne opened the folder.<\/p>\n<p>Inside were copies of early trust documents.<\/p>\n<p>Two signatures appeared repeatedly.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel Carter.<\/p>\n<p>Victor Wickham.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe restitution fund was Victor\u2019s idea,\u201d Marianne said.<\/p>\n<p>Donald stared at his father\u2019s name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis wife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elena.<\/p>\n<p>Their mother.<\/p>\n<p>Agustin had told us about Trial 17.<\/p>\n<p>My mother nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Elena died, Victor finally understood Mercer had treated his own family as disposable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald whispered, \u201cSo he turned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor and Samuel began moving money into a separate trust.<\/p>\n<p>They collected patient records.<\/p>\n<p>They planned compensation.<\/p>\n<p>They prepared to approach federal authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne built financial structures designed to survive corporate collapse.<\/p>\n<p>My mother handled communications with families.<\/p>\n<p>Then something changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother looked at Donald.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgustin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stole internal records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo expose Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would have been, except Victor thought Agustin intended to destroy the company before restitution could be funded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne added, \u201cVictor became convinced timing mattered more than truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was again.<\/p>\n<p>Delay.<\/p>\n<p>Control.<\/p>\n<p>Management.<\/p>\n<p>The disease that seemed hereditary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor wanted to wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgustin didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMercer wanted everything buried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale worked for Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I paced to the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the conflict wasn\u2019t initially whether to expose the crimes. It was when.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd who controlled the process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Control.<\/p>\n<p>Always control.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel wanted immediate disclosure.<\/p>\n<p>Agustin wanted the files released publicly.<\/p>\n<p>Victor wanted a controlled settlement that preserved enough company value to compensate victims.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer wanted silence.<\/p>\n<p>Vale initially served Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel tried to keep Donald away from all of it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother\u2019s voice softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted your father alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That silenced me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe became obsessed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith justice?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith finishing what he started.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stopped sleeping. He kept copies in different places. He trusted almost no one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he trust you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hid the music box archive from you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe second archive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ring?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew the ring mattered. Not how.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel was compartmentalizing information. He believed no one should be able to destroy everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it also meant nobody could protect him properly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother looked down.<\/p>\n<p>The final meeting happened because Samuel decided to release the records without Victor\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n<p>Victor came to stop him.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer came because Victor insisted he face consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel came to mediate.<\/p>\n<p>Vale knew where Samuel would be.<\/p>\n<p>Agustin was invited separately but refused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did Vale betray him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor threatened to expose your location to people Mercer was using.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat people?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrivate security contractors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was a college student.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated how often that word followed my name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened after the recording stopped?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou haven\u2019t heard the second recorder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat second recorder?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne stood and went to a cabinet.<\/p>\n<p>She returned carrying a small cassette.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel recorded the meeting twice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course he did.<\/p>\n<p>One device in the room.<\/p>\n<p>One hidden on his body.<\/p>\n<p>Agustin had found the first aftermath.<\/p>\n<p>My father had created another witness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you listened to it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you never gave it to police?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Samuel died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale intercepted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgain?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Victor had people watching every route out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz spoke for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you believed him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt that time, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz took the cassette.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can digitize this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She opened a laptop.<\/p>\n<p>The audio file began.<\/p>\n<p>Static.<\/p>\n<p>Then my father\u2019s labored breathing.<\/p>\n<p>The first recording had ended after Rachel promised to protect me.<\/p>\n<p>This one continued.<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s voice came close.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel, tell me where the records are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re dying for paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m dying because Mercer poisoned me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe dose was not lethal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father laughed weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen call an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>That silence convicted all of them more than words.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor, call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot until he gives me the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>My father said, \u201cThere you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe man you became.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s voice changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t moralize.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou built the restitution trust because Elena died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t say her name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou wanted to make it right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI still do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. You want to control how guilty you look.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A chair scraped.<\/p>\n<p>Victor shouted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think releasing everything helps victims? The company collapses. The trust disappears. Families get nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen let it collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd thousands of innocent employees?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetter unemployed than complicit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEasy for you to say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re bargaining with dead people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this gets out, everyone in this room goes to prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even now, hearing it, I felt something loosen inside me.<\/p>\n<p>He had included himself.<\/p>\n<p>He had been willing to face consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Victor wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>My father continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI signed the investments. I ignored warning signs. I profited. Put my name first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Victor\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ll destroy Madison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe deserves a father who told the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then a noise.<\/p>\n<p>Movement.<\/p>\n<p>My father gasped.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel screamed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor shouted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t touch him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mercer said, \u201cHis heart rhythm is unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFix it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Victor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald turned away.<\/p>\n<p>My mother began crying.<\/p>\n<p>Victor continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Not an act of murder in one dramatic motion.<\/p>\n<p>A delay.<\/p>\n<p>A choice.<\/p>\n<p>A man deciding that information mattered more than a dying life.<\/p>\n<p>My father\u2019s breathing worsened.<\/p>\n<p>He said something faint.<\/p>\n<p>The audio crackled.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne increased volume.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother bent forward.<\/p>\n<p>My father had said her name.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell Madison I was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My throat closed.<\/p>\n<p>Wrong about what?<\/p>\n<p>The recording offered no answer.<\/p>\n<p>Victor spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel, where is the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father whispered something.<\/p>\n<p>Victor leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My father laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Then said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the person you least suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording ended.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald looked at Marianne.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRachel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgustin?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel didn\u2019t trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of the memory card in the music box.<\/p>\n<p>But that had been financial data.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe not the original ledger.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe a copy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what was Victor chasing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe master ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow is that different?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt contains identities of every executive, regulator, physician, contractor and law-enforcement contact who received money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not just internal crime.<\/p>\n<p>External protection.<\/p>\n<p>A corruption map.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho had it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought about my father\u2019s final phrase.<\/p>\n<p>The person you least suspect.<\/p>\n<p>Then another memory surfaced.<\/p>\n<p>Rachel telling us someone had been watching the house for years.<\/p>\n<p>Mercer positioning himself nearby.<\/p>\n<p>Victor believing the ledger was hidden with me.<\/p>\n<p>Agustin chasing records.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone assumed Samuel had hidden evidence with family.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe that was the error.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did Dad trust outside all of you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery few people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marianne looked toward the cassette.<\/p>\n<p>Then at my mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Marianne answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. Helen Price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The name sounded familiar.<\/p>\n<p>Then I remembered.<\/p>\n<p>My childhood pediatrician.<\/p>\n<p>A quiet woman who gave me stickers after vaccinations.<\/p>\n<p>She had attended my father\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she have to do with the company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother whispered, \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was exactly why.<\/p>\n<p>The person Victor least suspected.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz was already typing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelen Price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She searched.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSan Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart accelerated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCurrent practice?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. Retired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAddress?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz looked at us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame address for thirty-two years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We left immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Price\u2019s house was small, blue and immaculately maintained.<\/p>\n<p>I remembered the porch.<\/p>\n<p>My mother had brought me here once when I was sick and the clinic was closed.<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz knocked.<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>A neighbor stepped outside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz showed her badge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you last see her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis morning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The neighbor thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA man visited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOlder. Gray hair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mind went first to Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Then Victor.<\/p>\n<p>The neighbor continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe walked with a cane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas Vale used a cane after an old injury.<\/p>\n<p>But Vale was hospitalized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you recognize him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlack sedan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz radioed the description.<\/p>\n<p>Then I noticed the front door.<\/p>\n<p>Not closed.<\/p>\n<p>Open half an inch.<\/p>\n<p>Police entered.<\/p>\n<p>The living room was empty.<\/p>\n<p>No struggle.<\/p>\n<p>Kitchen empty.<\/p>\n<p>Bedroom empty.<\/p>\n<p>Then an officer called from the study.<\/p>\n<p>We found Helen Price sitting in a chair.<\/p>\n<p>Alive.<\/p>\n<p>A bruise marked her temple.<\/p>\n<p>Her hands were loosely bound.<\/p>\n<p>When she saw me, she started crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMadison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knelt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you know me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have Samuel\u2019s eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruiz cut the ties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Price looked toward the desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came for the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Donald froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy grandfather?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Price looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMadison\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My blood turned cold.<\/p>\n<p>My mother whispered from behind me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father died forty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Price shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, Evelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at us with an expression that contained thirty years of fear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father was the first man Samuel ever tried to expose.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=10423\">Click here to continue reading: PART 13: The Grandfather I Had Mourned Since Childhood Emerged as the Architect Behind the Trials, and Dr. Price Revealed Why My Father Feared Him<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I did not believe her. Not because the claim was impossible. Impossible had become meaningless. I didn\u2019t believe her because Victor had spent the past twenty-four hours threatening my daughter, &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10442,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10422\/revisions\/10442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}