{"id":12173,"date":"2026-09-17T11:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12173"},"modified":"2026-09-17T11:41:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:41:30","slug":"part-20-the-letter-my-father-left-for-rebecca-revealed-why-she-entered-his-hospital-room-and-what-she-had-been-seeking-ever-since","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12173","title":{"rendered":"PART 20 \u2013 The Letter My Father Left for Rebecca Revealed Why She Entered His Hospital Room and What She Had Been Seeking Ever Since"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nobody wanted to open Rebecca&#39;s envelope.<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>After an entire day of tearing through dead people&#39;s secrets, hesitation had finally arrived.<\/p>\n<p>The envelope sat on the command vehicle table.<\/p>\n<p>FOR REBECCA.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had written those words before his death.<\/p>\n<p>Which meant he expected she might return.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Caldwell stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did Peter write that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I put my hand over the envelope.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes lifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe&#39;s my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd he&#39;s my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Margaret nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Fair.<\/p>\n<p>I opened it.<\/p>\n<p>Inside were four pages and a photograph.<\/p>\n<p>The photograph showed a girl of perhaps twelve sitting on the hood of Dad&#39;s old pickup.<\/p>\n<p>Dad stood beside her.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas was behind them.<\/p>\n<p>The girl had Margaret Caldwell&#39;s eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>On the back Dad had written:<\/p>\n<p>Before we became enemies.<\/p>\n<p>My throat tightened.<\/p>\n<p>I unfolded the letter.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca,<\/p>\n<p>If you ever read this, then you came back for the agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Caldwell covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Dad continued.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas has lied to you about what happened to the family property.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>He leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>Your father was not cheated. He sold his interest voluntarily after stealing against the land. The amendment proves it. I kept the original because someday I believed you might deserve the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca had built her life around Thomas&#39;s grievance.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had preserved evidence not only to defeat him.<\/p>\n<p>To free her from the lie.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>You were a child when Thomas went to prison. I know what he told you afterward. I also know I made matters worse by refusing to answer you.<\/p>\n<p>Dad admitted something I had rarely heard from him.<\/p>\n<p>A mistake.<\/p>\n<p>I thought silence would protect Elena from our family&#39;s history. Instead, silence gave Thomas room to turn history into something else.<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>That sentence felt written for every person involved.<\/p>\n<p>Silence had protected nothing.<\/p>\n<p>The next paragraph changed the room.<\/p>\n<p>I know you have been working with Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Caldwell whispered, \u201cPeter knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dad knew.<\/p>\n<p>Victor is not your friend, but he is not the person who stole Thomas&#39;s share. William did not steal it either. Thomas sold it.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca&#39;s grievance had no legal foundation.<\/p>\n<p>But there was more.<\/p>\n<p>The money Thomas received did not disappear.<\/p>\n<p>I looked up.<\/p>\n<p>Robert frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The $180,000.<\/p>\n<p>Dad continued.<\/p>\n<p>Our parents placed Thomas&#39;s payment into a trust after his conviction because he owed restitution. What remained was designated for you.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret gasped.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca had inherited the money Thomas claimed had been stolen from him.<\/p>\n<p>I read on.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas never told you because he took the trust after his release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n<p>The next page answered.<\/p>\n<p>With investment growth, approximately $1.8 million.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stole from Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad had documented transfers.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had emptied his own daughter&#39;s trust.<\/p>\n<p>Then spent decades telling her Peter had stolen their inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>The cruelty was breathtaking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca know?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas told her Peter took everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad&#39;s letter continued.<\/p>\n<p>I have proof of the withdrawals. Copies are attached. If you want the originals, come to me. Come alone. I will show you everything.<\/p>\n<p>I looked through the pages.<\/p>\n<p>Bank statements.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas&#39;s signature.<\/p>\n<p>Withdrawals.<\/p>\n<p>Dates.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca had been robbed by the man she spent her life defending.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the final paragraph.<\/p>\n<p>Do not let your father&#39;s anger become your inheritance.<\/p>\n<p>I stopped reading.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had written:<\/p>\n<p>You still have time to choose differently.<\/p>\n<p>No accusation.<\/p>\n<p>No threat.<\/p>\n<p>Just an invitation.<\/p>\n<p>The letter was dated six weeks before his death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca receive a copy?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI delivered it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout a month before Peter died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Rebecca do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe confronted Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey fought.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow badly?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe disappeared for two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen she came back?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said Peter was lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mattered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe believed Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why go to St. Anne&#39;s with Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo get the originals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not to kill Dad.<\/p>\n<p>At least initially.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened in the room?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vanessa shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn&#39;t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Margaret whispered, \u201cRebecca would have asked Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Dad could prove Thomas lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich gives Thomas motive to stop that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Dad said not Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen maybe Thomas left before the fatal act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We reconstructed the footage.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas entered Dad&#39;s room disguised.<\/p>\n<p>He stayed roughly two minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Then exited.<\/p>\n<p>The monitor alarm came soon afterward.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca had entered separately through hospital access routes.<\/p>\n<p>She could have remained unseen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if Thomas confronted Dad,\u201d Marisol said, \u201cbut Rebecca came in afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>It fit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad tells Thomas the amendment exists,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cThomas tries to stop him calling security, then leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca enters,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe asks about the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the missing piece.<\/p>\n<p>Priya&#39;s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>She listened.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas is out of surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan he speak?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBriefly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>The hospital was twelve minutes away.<\/p>\n<p>Priya did not want all of us going.<\/p>\n<p>I went with Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Robert stayed with Marisol and Lucas.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Caldwell asked to come.<\/p>\n<p>I refused.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas lay in intensive care under guard.<\/p>\n<p>His face had lost its defiance.<\/p>\n<p>He looked old.<\/p>\n<p>Actually old.<\/p>\n<p>Not dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>That illusion lasted until he saw the envelope in my hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe always lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have the bank records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas turned his face away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou stole Rebecca&#39;s trust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was legally hers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy parents stole from me first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou signed the amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou took the money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Rebecca, it was everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;ve said that before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca kill Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes opened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I believed the speed of it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTurn that off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel held his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#39;s recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTurn it off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas smiled weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen enjoy ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to shake him.<\/p>\n<p>Instead I sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad&#39;s last words were \u2018Not Tom.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he clear you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stared toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Peter knew I left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened in the room?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked for the amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou stopped him pressing the call button.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI grabbed his wrist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you touch his IV?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca enter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you see her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHallway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t the camera show her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cService corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told her Peter had the proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWent in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I thought she&#39;d get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou let your daughter confront the man you hated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn&#39;t a child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca ever tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His breathing grew shallow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said Peter gave her the bank records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Dad proved you stole her money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas&#39;s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe hated me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel glanced at me.<\/p>\n<p>I didn&#39;t care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else did Rebecca say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said Peter offered to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHelp how?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo to police. Clear her from the Caldwell fraud. Start over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad had offered Rebecca an exit.<\/p>\n<p>Just as he had tried with Robert.<\/p>\n<p>Just as Mom had tried with Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone kept offering compromised people one last chance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she accept?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did Dad die?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca was the last person with him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho came after Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the nurses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMan or woman?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMichael?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert&#39;s brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas it him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never saw his face.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDescription.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTall. Thin. Surgical cap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca know him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey spoke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she call him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn&#39;t hear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he enter Dad&#39;s room?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Rebecca left.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Rebecca left Dad alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCertain?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe told me he was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe one thirty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The monitor alarm began around 1:34.<\/p>\n<p>That left almost no time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did Rebecca go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLocker room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the man?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInto Peter&#39;s room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeconds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you see what he carried?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA syringe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin went cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Rebecca see him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the stairwell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you stop him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas gave me a look I would remember.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I wanted Peter dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The honesty was monstrous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you didn&#39;t kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou watched someone else do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen spent six years letting everyone suspect you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was useful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho was the man?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told you. I don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything distinctive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas&#39;s eyes opened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wore a watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel exhaled impatiently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo do millions of people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter gave it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw it years before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho owned it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad had a watch he almost never wore.<\/p>\n<p>A steel Omega.<\/p>\n<p>He had given it away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas smiled weakly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou really don&#39;t know your father at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt anger rise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeter gave that watch to a boy he helped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat boy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot Robert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA kid from the neighborhood. Peter paid for his schooling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nursing school.<\/p>\n<p>I thought immediately of Michael.<\/p>\n<p>But Thomas had already said not Michael.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMedical school,\u201d Thomas added.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n<p>A doctor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew no Ethan.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel searched his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not Hale.<\/p>\n<p>Vale.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel searched St. Anne&#39;s archived staff list.<\/p>\n<p>Then stopped.<\/p>\n<p>His face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He turned the screen toward me.<\/p>\n<p>ETHAN VALE, M.D. \u2014 ATTENDING PHYSICIAN \u2014 EMERGENCY MEDICINE.<\/p>\n<p>My father had apparently helped put Ethan Vale through medical school.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan had been working the night Dad died.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Ethan kill him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas gave a weak laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsk Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Ethan wasn&#39;t just Peter&#39;s charity case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas&#39;s eyes began closing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was Victor&#39;s son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>Victor Hale had a son named Ethan Vale.<\/p>\n<p>Different surname.<\/p>\n<p>Hidden connection.<\/p>\n<p>Another family secret.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Dad know about Ethan?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas barely answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The nurse moved us away.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel immediately called Priya.<\/p>\n<p>She searched Ethan Vale.<\/p>\n<p>Current status.<\/p>\n<p>Alive.<\/p>\n<p>Practicing medicine.<\/p>\n<p>Different state.<\/p>\n<p>Then another result appeared.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan Vale had returned to the city three days ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel scrolled.<\/p>\n<p>A medical conference.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe.<\/p>\n<p>Then Priya called back.<\/p>\n<p>Her voice was urgent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not return to the command vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat&#39;s happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found a tracking device on your car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the device transmitted to a phone registered under an alias.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat alias?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Priya paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRachel Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca was alive.<\/p>\n<p>And she had been tracking us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#39;re tracing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Then Priya said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena, there is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe phone has been communicating with one other number continuously for three days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDr. Ethan Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man Thomas claimed had entered Dad&#39;s room after Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>The man carrying my father&#39;s watch.<\/p>\n<p>The doctor who had returned to the city just as the fight over the Carter property reached its final stage.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca and Ethan were not merely alive.<\/p>\n<p>They were working together.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12174\">Click here to continue reading: PART 21: Rebecca and Ethan Had Been Watching Us for Days, and Their First Demand Finally Revealed What They Needed From My Family<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nobody wanted to open Rebecca&#39;s envelope. That surprised me. After an entire day of tearing through dead people&#39;s secrets, hesitation had finally arrived. The envelope sat on the command vehicle &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12173","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\/12173","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=12173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12197,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12173\/revisions\/12197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}