![\"May](\"https:\/\/scontent.fpnh11-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t39.30808-6\/791453488_122118296607397752_7186537077573985245_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_tt6&cstp=mx1086x1448&ctp=p526x296&_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=wDKqzk3UWcsQ7kNvwECJAlW&_nc_oc=AdpqdP1V5hrFKhRw9ZnFPujBLgFsgtARU4VuX0Hf2HcSbbFD7hjuQtd9NVdAP1-2eeU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fpnh11-1.fna&_nc_gid=Ll64BS8g48oKXEI51HUw2Q&_nc_ss=7b2a8&oh=00_AQJj9v31CFgz3m0LrUeMmsWPD1ZecgWaOFfdZ3ul9AkaOw&oe=6AA0AF05\")
<\/p>\nThe lights went out.
\nNot dimmed.
\nNot flickered.
\nGone.
\nThe Sapphire Suite disappeared so completely that for one second I could not tell whether my eyes were open.
\nSomeone gasped.
\nGlass shattered near the table.
\nThen my father shouted my name.
\n\u201cHarper!\u201d
\nA hand caught my arm.
\nI reacted without thinking and drove my elbow backward.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The person grunted but did not let go.
\n\u201cMove,\u201d a voice whispered beside my ear.
\nIt was not Landon.
\nIt was a woman.
\nBefore I could turn, she shoved me toward the floor.
\nSomething heavy swung through the darkness where my head had been.
\nIt struck the wall with a sickening crack.
\nMy knees hit the carpet.
\nMy father stumbled into me.
\n\u201cStay down,\u201d he ordered.
\nA security alarm began pulsing through the room.
\nNot loud.
\nJust a low electronic tone repeating every two seconds.<\/p>\n
Simone\u2019s voice came from somewhere near the door.
\n\u201cEmergency lighting should activate automatically.\u201d
\nIt did not.
\nI heard running footsteps.
\nThen the suite door slammed.
\n\u201cLandon!\u201d Tessa screamed.
\nAnother crash followed.
\nSomeone cursed.
\nMy phone was still in my hand, but the screen had gone black. I pressed the side button.
\nNothing.
\n\u201cDad?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d
\nHis hand found my shoulder.<\/p>\n
So was the authorization slip bearing my forged signature.<\/p>\n
My father stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cLock the building.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simone touched the radio clipped to her jacket.<\/p>\n
It answered with static.<\/p>\n
She tried again.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe internal system is down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe elevators?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDisabled during a security failure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he used the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simone ran into the corridor.<\/p>\n
The second security officer followed her.<\/p>\n
Dad helped me to my feet.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Tessa.<\/p>\n
The sapphire necklace was no longer around her throat.<\/p>\n
Only a thin red mark remained where it had rested against her skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She looked down as if she had only just noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were wearing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone ripped it off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved toward the open doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cLandon grabbed me when the lights went out. I thought he was trying to protect me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he take the necklace?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father picked up my phone and pressed the power button.<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery device died at the same time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tessa reached for her purse.<\/p>\n
Her phone was dead too.<\/p>\n
The waiter held his up.<\/p>\n
Black screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can do that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn electromagnetic pulse in a room this size,\u201d Dad said. \u201cOr a targeted device designed to overload nearby electronics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean someone planned this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked at the injured guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was never a dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guard groaned.<\/p>\n
My father knelt beside him.<\/p>\n
A deep cut ran above the man\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see who hit you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The guard blinked several times.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Pierce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was beside the door,\u201d the guard said. \u201cWhen the lights failed, I felt him reach for my baton.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would not attack security.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guard gave her a dazed look.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cLandon brought someone into this building who knew the electrical system, disabled communication, copied my security identity, and transferred thirty-eight million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa backed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did not tell me any of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat does not make you innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled with anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was his girlfriend, not his criminal partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wore my watch,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Tessa looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sat beside him while he tried to spend one million dollars from my company. You listened while he discussed removing me from my board. Do not stand in front of me and pretend you were only here for champagne.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth opened.<\/p>\n
No words came.<\/p>\n
For the first time since I had met her, Tessa looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
Then her expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew about the board vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stepped toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Harper was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what Landon told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe showed me medical records.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat medical records?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Tessa hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherapy notes. Prescriptions. An evaluation from a psychiatrist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never been evaluated by a psychiatrist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not what the documents said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLandon kept them in a blue folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
The folder Simone had found beside Landon\u2019s coat had been gray.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid the documents say I was dangerous?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Tessa swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said you experienced delusions during periods of extreme stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of delusions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat people were stealing from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father turned away and swore under his breath.<\/p>\n
The plan was suddenly clear.<\/p>\n
Landon had not merely forged my signature.<\/p>\n
He had created an explanation for what would happen when I discovered it.<\/p>\n
If I accused him of stealing my money, he would show the board a medical file claiming I imagined theft.<\/p>\n
If I fought the company transfer, he would say I was having a breakdown.<\/p>\n
If I called the police, every word I spoke would become proof that I was unstable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe planned this before the divorce,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at Tessa.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you seen those records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three months.<\/p>\n
The divorce proceedings had begun four months earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho gave them to Landon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said someone at Harper\u2019s clinic owed him a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not have a clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you were treated at St. Catherine\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father stopped moving.<\/p>\n
I noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is St. Catherine\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a private psychiatric hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt closed eleven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cBut your mother was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa looked between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was not mentioned in the files.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s face had become unreadable.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother spent six weeks at St. Catherine\u2019s when you were seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you never tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe suffered a breakdown after your brother died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt as if the room had shifted beneath me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not have a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Tessa whispered, \u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis name was Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was born two years before you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died when he was four.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother never had another child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believed you were too young to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remembered enough to have nightmares. Your mother begged me never to speak about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
Images moved at the edges of my memory.<\/p>\n
A red toy truck beneath our kitchen table.<\/p>\n
A small blue coat hanging beside mine.<\/p>\n
My mother sitting on the bathroom floor, whispering a name I had thought belonged to someone from a dream.<\/p>\n
Danny.<\/p>\n
I had not heard that name in years.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps I had spent years refusing to hear it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Dad looked toward the open doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarper, we have less than forty minutes before the board vote and a transfer moving through the banking system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just told me I had a brother whose existence was erased from my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
He said nothing else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt our lake house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The memory struck without warning.<\/p>\n
Cold water.<\/p>\n
My mother screaming from the dock.<\/p>\n
A small hand slipping out of mine.<\/p>\n
I grabbed the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
That was not a memory.<\/p>\n
It could not be.<\/p>\n
I had never been told I had a brother.<\/p>\n
I had never been told there was a drowning.<\/p>\n
But suddenly I could smell wet wood.<\/p>\n
I could hear thunder.<\/p>\n
I could see a red toy truck floating upside down near the reeds.<\/p>\n
Dad caught me before my knees gave way.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not force it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas I there?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer quickly enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, was I there when Daniel died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word emptied the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were both playing near the dock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said he drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew how he died. We never knew why he went into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I push him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
My father gripped my shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were seven years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you did not remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone think I pushed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s silence was worse than a confession.<\/p>\n
I pulled away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police asked questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho thought I pushed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
The red emergency lights seemed to grow brighter.<\/p>\n
Dad continued before I could speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was grieving. She was not thinking clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought I killed my brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor two days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo days?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she said she had been wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe remembered seeing someone else near the dock.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked at the door again.<\/p>\n
\u201cLandon\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLandon\u2019s father was at our lake house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor Pierce worked for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you first met Landon at a charity dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you knew his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor was an auditor in my firm.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice came out as a whisper.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Landon know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe he married the daughter of his father\u2019s former employer by coincidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad looked at the authorization slip that was no longer there.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I believe Victor sent him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could ask another question, Simone returned.<\/p>\n
Her breathing was controlled, but a tear in her sleeve revealed a bloody scrape beneath it.<\/p>\n
\u201cService stairwell door was opened with a master credential,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich credential?\u201d Dad asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simone\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many identities have they copied?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Landon leave the building?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot confirm. External cameras went down with the internal system. The street cameras are not responding to our request.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he could still be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simone looked at Tessa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need your bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa clutched it against her side.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you entered with Mr. Pierce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already told you I knew nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tessa slowly handed it over.<\/p>\n
Simone emptied the contents onto the table.<\/p>\n
Lipstick.<\/p>\n
Keys.<\/p>\n
A small wallet.<\/p>\n
Perfume.<\/p>\n
A folded restaurant receipt.<\/p>\n
Two phones.<\/p>\n
The second phone was smaller than the first.<\/p>\n
Black.<\/p>\n
Unbranded.<\/p>\n
Tessa stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simone picked it up carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did it get into your bag?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad examined it without touching.<\/p>\n
\u201cA burner.\u201d<\/p>\n
The screen came to life.<\/p>\n
Unlike every other device in the room, it had survived the blackout.<\/p>\n
A countdown appeared.<\/p>\n
00:23:41<\/strong><\/p>\n Twenty-three minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens when it reaches zero?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n No one answered.<\/p>\n Simone turned the phone over.<\/p>\n A small wire had been taped beneath the case.<\/p>\n Not a bomb.<\/p>\n A data key.<\/p>\n Dad leaned closer.<\/p>\n The lights went out. Not dimmed. Not flickered. Gone. The Sapphire Suite disappeared so completely that for one second I could not tell whether my eyes were open. Someone gasped. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,21,22,1,5,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aita","category-daily-article","category-reddit-stories","category-story","category-story-daily","category-viral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5463"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5474,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5463\/revisions\/5474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THE NEXT \ud83d\udc49PART 4-My father ordered me to change PINs after my divorce. Minutes later, I understood why.<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"