{"id":2040,"date":"2026-09-12T16:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=2040"},"modified":"2026-09-12T16:37:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T16:37:00","slug":"part-8-inside-the-house-where-the-morales-trust-began-daniel-finally-explained-why-my-mother-disappeared-and-why-he-needed-me-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=2040","title":{"rendered":"PART 8 \u2013 Inside the House Where the Morales Trust Began, Daniel Finally Explained Why My Mother Disappeared\u2014and Why He Needed Me Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The front door of the Morrow house stood open.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica entered beside me.<\/p>\n<p>The hallway smelled of wet wood, dust, and something metallic.<\/p>\n<p>I kept my phone in my pocket with the line open to Detective Ortega.<\/p>\n<p>A tiny microphone was clipped inside my coat.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica wore one too.<\/p>\n<p>We had been warned not to look for the police.<\/p>\n<p>If we knew where they were, we might accidentally reveal them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel?\u201d Jessica called.<\/p>\n<p>Her voice carried through the empty house.<\/p>\n<p>A man answered from upstairs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictoria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica stopped.<\/p>\n<p>I felt her body stiffen.<\/p>\n<p>She had heard that voice throughout childhood.<\/p>\n<p>I had only heard a younger version on Rebecca\u2019s cassette.<\/p>\n<p>We climbed.<\/p>\n<p>Family portraits still hung along the staircase beneath layers of dust.<\/p>\n<p>Victor.<\/p>\n<p>Elena.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>Isabel.<\/p>\n<p>A younger Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>They looked like any wealthy family frozen in formal poses.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing in those photographs showed who feared whom.<\/p>\n<p>At the top of the stairs, Daniel Mercer waited.<\/p>\n<p>He was seventy-two, maybe seventy-three.<\/p>\n<p>Silver hair.<\/p>\n<p>Dark sweater beneath an expensive coat.<\/p>\n<p>No weapon visible.<\/p>\n<p>On his right hand was the same oversized silver ring from my mother\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>He noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou recognize this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena always hated it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica spoke first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s gaze settled on her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou look like Isabel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSafe enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat means nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means she is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShow us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sound like Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll take that as a compliment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou hated him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou tried to destroy him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried to contain a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople aren\u2019t problems.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked almost sad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is something your mother used to say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop talking about her like you knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew her better than anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou tried to kill her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The smile disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Rebecca\u2019s recording survived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor thirty-one years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you kill Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you arrange her accident?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you try to kill Isabel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked toward me instead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan, do you have the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I lifted Maya\u2019s document case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst Isabel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned.<\/p>\n<p>A door behind us opened.<\/p>\n<p>A man I had not seen stepped into the hall.<\/p>\n<p>Gun in hand.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel sighed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked you not to make this theatrical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said she was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is, provided everyone remains reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDownstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked toward the stairwell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou brought us upstairs while keeping her below.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted distance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmotion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He turned and entered a bedroom.<\/p>\n<p>We followed because the armed man left us no real choice.<\/p>\n<p>The room had once been a library.<\/p>\n<p>Built-in shelves covered two walls.<\/p>\n<p>A stone fireplace stood opposite the windows.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel pointed to a table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I set down the case.<\/p>\n<p>He opened it.<\/p>\n<p>Flipped through Maya\u2019s copies.<\/p>\n<p>Then laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are reproductions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re certified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut they are not what I asked for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want Rebecca\u2019s amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The reaction was small.<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>That was enough.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica saw it too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that\u2019s real,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel closed the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother always talked too much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIsabel told us nothing about an amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Arthur did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel walked to the fireplace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis house belonged to your great-grandparents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca signed the amendment in this room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe discovered you were stealing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe misunderstood financial restructuring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Elena misunderstand too?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena was emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>The language from the old evaluations.<\/p>\n<p>Emotional.<\/p>\n<p>Unstable.<\/p>\n<p>Unreliable.<\/p>\n<p>Words polished enough to replace handcuffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou paid doctors to say she was mentally ill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI paid doctors for professional evaluations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou bribed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe might.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat has been Arthur\u2019s problem for thirty years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes moved to her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe drove too fast in the rain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe recorded you threatening her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe recorded an argument.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said if anything happened to her, Elena would get everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>Not guilt.<\/p>\n<p>Memory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca had no idea what she was triggering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He walked to the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour family\u2019s company was failing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you stole from it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Victor was incompetent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou used him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saved him repeatedly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did Rebecca need protection from you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Rebecca wanted to expose transactions that would have destroyed every employee, every pension, every property tied to the Morales group.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you killed her to protect a company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The denial came harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe died because Victor confronted her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked annoyed with himself.<\/p>\n<p>He had said too much.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica saw it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy uncle caused the accident?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictor followed her. They argued. She left angry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd crashed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou covered it up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI protected the family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words sounded automatic.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s what you always called it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel ignored her.<\/p>\n<p>I moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cElena believed Rebecca had been murdered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas she wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why frame her as mentally unstable?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she had the ledgers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause those ledgers would have brought federal investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd exposed you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmong others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Motive without confession.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened the night of the fire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at me for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Then he said, \u201cVictor panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he start it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA man Victor hired to recover the records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSamuel Trent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew nothing about him.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrent was supposed to enter the house while Elena and Arthur were gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he burned it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fire was not planned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was catastrophic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom survived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s expression shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was always more resourceful than Victor understood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you help her escape?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Isabel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel did not answer.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica stepped forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother helped Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did you tell me Arthur kidnapped her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you were fifteen and angry children need simple villains.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica\u2019s face crumpled with disgust.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou used me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI raised you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sent me to Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI introduced you to an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told me Arthur stole our inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe withheld documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you wanted them destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel slammed one palm onto the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause a dead woman\u2019s revenge has controlled this family for thirty years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>He meant Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>The amendment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the amendment surfaces,\u201d I said, \u201cwhat happens?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trust becomes difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya had explained enough that I could guess.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Rebecca barred anyone responsible for harming beneficiaries from controlling the estate, and the tape connects you to threats against Isabel and Elena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt connects me to an argument.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut other records connect you to the doctors and forged transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou think this is about money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told Jessica it was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJessica needed a reason she could understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica\u2019s eyes filled with fury.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel pointed at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trust contains records of payments made through shell corporations. Some went to public officials. Some went to physicians. Some went to judges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople built careers on those payments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This was larger than a family fortune.<\/p>\n<p>It was evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Names.<\/p>\n<p>Crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Blackmail material.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs that why Mom stayed hidden?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s silence told me enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe wasn\u2019t just hiding from Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was hiding from everyone implicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why keep me alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Elena made you necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trust cannot be fully dissolved, transferred, or destroyed without authorization from Elena\u2019s direct heir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if Elena is alive?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen hers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart hammered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know whether she\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know she was alive six months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica gasped.<\/p>\n<p>I forgot the armed man.<\/p>\n<p>Forgot the house.<\/p>\n<p>Forgot everything except those words.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat depends on the amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou tell me where she is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou find Rebecca\u2019s amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel looked toward the fireplace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur told you this house matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly that Elena hid it here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica looked around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why haven\u2019t you found it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Elena was clever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered Dad\u2019s words.<\/p>\n<p>Morrow.<\/p>\n<p>Not only the house.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe something in the house.<\/p>\n<p>I scanned the room.<\/p>\n<p>Bookshelves.<\/p>\n<p>Fireplace.<\/p>\n<p>Portrait.<\/p>\n<p>A carved wooden mantle.<\/p>\n<p>Morrow could be a name.<\/p>\n<p>Or a clue.<\/p>\n<p>On one shelf sat old hardcovers.<\/p>\n<p>I moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel watched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I ignored him.<\/p>\n<p>One book stood backward.<\/p>\n<p>Its spine faced the wall.<\/p>\n<p>I pulled it out.<\/p>\n<p>The title was Tomorrow\u2019s Garden.<\/p>\n<p>Morrow.<\/p>\n<p>To-morrow.<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Elena\u2019s sense of humor had survived everything.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the book, several pages had been cut away.<\/p>\n<p>A cavity.<\/p>\n<p>Empty.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel swore.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had beaten us to it.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A floorboard creaked behind the wall.<\/p>\n<p>The armed man turned.<\/p>\n<p>Too late.<\/p>\n<p>A section of shelving swung open.<\/p>\n<p>An older woman stepped out.<\/p>\n<p>Gray hair.<\/p>\n<p>Thin face.<\/p>\n<p>Black bag over one shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica stopped breathing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isabel Morales looked at her daughter.<\/p>\n<p>For one second, time disappeared from her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictoria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jessica crossed the room.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shouted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The armed man raised his weapon.<\/p>\n<p>A gunshot cracked from downstairs.<\/p>\n<p>Then another.<\/p>\n<p>Police surged into the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>The armed man dropped his weapon.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel backed toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>Isabel pulled Jessica behind the shelf.<\/p>\n<p>I grabbed Daniel before he reached the fire escape.<\/p>\n<p>He was stronger than I expected.<\/p>\n<p>We crashed into the table.<\/p>\n<p>Documents scattered.<\/p>\n<p>He struck me once across the mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Then officers were on him.<\/p>\n<p>Hands.<\/p>\n<p>Commands.<\/p>\n<p>Metal cuffs.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, Daniel Mercer looked old.<\/p>\n<p>Not powerful.<\/p>\n<p>Not untouchable.<\/p>\n<p>Old.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica was holding Isabel as if letting go might make her vanish again.<\/p>\n<p>I wiped blood from my lip.<\/p>\n<p>Then Isabel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes widened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began to cry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew you before you could read.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My throat tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isabel\u2019s eyes moved toward Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>Then back to me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everything inside me went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isabel reached into her black bag.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel shouted from the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t give him that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An officer pushed him down.<\/p>\n<p>Isabel removed an envelope.<\/p>\n<p>On the front was my name.<\/p>\n<p>My mother\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>Ethan.<\/p>\n<p>Isabel held it toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe gave me this six months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I took it with shaking hands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she come herself?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isabel wiped her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Elena knew Daniel was watching everyone connected to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is she now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isabel looked at Jessica.<\/p>\n<p>Then at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou deserve to hear the rest from Arthur first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed from frustration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo more secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis one isn\u2019t mine to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat could possibly be left?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Isabel\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reason Arthur let you believe Elena was dead wasn\u2019t only to protect you from Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked toward the officers hauling Daniel upright.<\/p>\n<p>Then she said quietly, \u201cIt was to protect Elena from you finding out what she had done to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=2041\">Click here to continue reading: PART 9: Isabel Finally Told Me What My Mother Did After the Fire, and Why Arthur Chose to Carry Her Guilt Alone<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The front door of the Morrow house stood open. Jessica entered beside me. The hallway smelled of wet wood, dust, and something metallic. I kept my phone in my pocket &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2060,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2040\/revisions\/2060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}