Three Tracker Alerts Led Me To Uncover My Whole Family’s Secret Betrayal Chapter 02

Three Tracker Alerts Led Me To Uncover My Whole Family’s Secret Betrayal Chapter 02

That house was the one my grandmother had left me in her trust.

I still remembered the day my parents handed me the deed after she passed—their eyes were red.

“Mara, this is what Grandma left you. You have to take care of it, you hear?”

And now they’d given it away as a wedding present—to my boyfriend and the woman he’d been cheating on me with.

I don’t remember how I got home.

My head throbbed.

The room felt suffocating.

That voice came back.

[Open the window. It’ll feel less stuffy.]

I looked at the dark glass.

[Go on. Open it. Maybe then all this pain will finally stop.]

I moved.

The window slid open, and the room did feel less stuffy.

I lowered my head.

Maybe if I did what the voice wanted, the pain would finally go away.

I was about to make a terrible choice when a voice behind me cracked with panic.

“Mara!”

I was tackled to the floor.

Chase was visibly shaken.

He pulled me into his arms.

“I’m back. I’m sorry, Mara. I’m so sorry.”

His voice shook with pure terror.

He stroked my back—slow, gentle, his own hands trembling.

I rested my head on his shoulder and stared out into the empty night.

“Where were you?”

He went still for just a fraction of a second.

Then he pulled back and brushed the tears from my face—tears I hadn’t even realized were falling.

“I went to a wedding today. I couldn’t leave before it ended, so I got back late.”

He pulled out his phone.

“Trent came with me. Call him if you don’t believe me.”

The line picked up fast.

“Hey, sis. Chase made it home, right? Checking up on him again? Don’t worry—he was a total angel today.”

His lazy drawl was just as obnoxious as ever.

He used to tell me, “Sis, if anyone ever messes with you, you tell me. I’ll knock their teeth out.”

Now he was standing with the people who’d hurt me.

On the other side.

Chase hung up and leaned in to brush a kiss across my forehead.

“See? Nothing to worry about.”

The images from the wedding flashed before my eyes.

A wave of nausea hit me. I bent over and dry-heaved.

Chase’s expression flickered.

“Mara…”

A sudden ringtone cut off his concern.

“I need to take this.”

He threw me a half-hearted excuse and strode toward the balcony.

Muffled words slipped through the cracked door.

“She’s having another episode… yeah… I’ll be right down.”

I closed my eyes. I heard his footsteps return.

“Mara, Dad says he’s not feeling well. I’m going to check on him. If it’s late, I’ll crash there.”

The second he finished, my father’s call came through.

“Sweetheart, Chase is coming over to help your dad out. Don’t worry.”

Perfect timing.

Chase held up his bracelet.

“Track me anytime if you’re still uneasy.”

Footsteps faded. The door clicked shut.

I pushed myself off the couch and walked to the window.

Down below, Piper threw herself into Chase’s arms.

They exchanged a practiced kiss, then got into his car.

The taillights disappeared into the night.

I took a deep breath and shook that voice out of my head.

Then I went downstairs, hailed a cab, and gave my parents’ address.