“Lucas, I need everything on Margaret Carter’s death,” he said. “Everything.”

Hours later, the truth came crashing in.

“There’s no record,” Lucas said. “No real certificate. The funeral home doesn’t exist.”

Daniel felt something inside him go cold.

“It’s all fake.”

Anger replaced grief.

Before she disappeared, Margaret had been investigating contracts—money that didn’t add up, companies that shouldn’t exist.

And suddenly, one name rose above the rest.

Andrew Blake.

His closest partner.

The man who had arranged everything.

The man who had stood beside him at the funeral.

Daniel returned to the cemetery.

Emma was waiting again.

“You were right,” he said. “It was all a lie.”

She nodded.

“My mom told me.”

He frowned. “Your mom?”

“The woman in the photo,” Emma said quietly. “She’s my mom. She helped your wife.”

Daniel’s breath caught.

Emma continued, her voice small but steady.

“My mom worked at a clinic. People came there when they couldn’t go to hospitals. Your wife showed up hurt, scared. Said someone was trying to kill her. My mom hid her.”

Daniel closed his eyes.

“And then?” he asked.

“A man came looking for her,” Emma said. “After that… my mom disappeared.”

The silence between them grew heavy.