He Needed a Wife to Claim His Inheritance—So He Paid a Poor Widow to Pretend
Chapter 9
Ethan mobilized every resource he had.
Security teams.
Private investigators.
Police contacts.
Financial records.
They tracked Nathan’s movements.
He had taken Noah to an abandoned manufacturing plant.
Ethan went with the police.
Clara stayed behind.
She wanted to go.
Ethan refused.
“This is too dangerous.”
“He’s my son.”
“I know.”
“Then don’t leave me behind.”
He looked at her.
After a moment, he nodded.
They entered the plant together.
Nathan was waiting.
Noah was tied to a chair.
Clara cried out.
Ethan stepped forward.
“Let him go.”
Nathan laughed.
“You ruined everything.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“You made your choices.”
Nathan shook his head.
“Your grandfather was supposed to leave everything to me.”
“He never trusted you.”
“He hated me.”
“He saw you.”
Nathan’s face hardened.
“I saw what this family did to people.”
“You became worse.”
Nathan pointed a gun.
“Enough.”
Then another voice came from behind them.
The police.
Nathan turned.
That distraction gave Ethan an opening.
He moved.
A struggle.
A gunshot.
Glass shattered.
Nathan fled.
Ethan reached Noah.
The boy was shaking.
“Dad?”
Ethan froze.
It was the first time Noah had ever called him that.
“I’m here.”
He untied him.
Clara ran forward.
She hugged her son.
Then she looked at Ethan.
For a moment, they said nothing.
They had almost lost everything.
But Noah was safe.
Nathan was arrested two hours later.
The investigation expanded.
The evidence from Daniel’s locker led to multiple convictions.
But one final mystery remained.
Who actually killed Daniel?
The answer came from an old security recording.
The brakes had been tampered with again after Ethan’s father left.
The person responsible entered the warehouse at 11:42 p.m.
The video showed the face.
It was the CFO.
He had been stealing millions.
Daniel had found out.
Nathan had helped him hide the theft.
But the CFO was the one who killed Daniel to protect himself.
The Cole family had made terrible mistakes.
But they hadn’t committed the murder.
Ethan watched the video in silence.
Clara held his hand.
“It’s over.”
He nodded.
But there was still one thing left to do.
The divorce.
The year had not yet passed.
Only six months remained.
Clara looked at him.
“What are you thinking?”
“That we don’t have to wait six months.”
She understood.
“You want to end the contract?”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Would you stay?”
She stared.
“Not for the inheritance.”
“No.”
“Not for money.”
“No.”
“Not because you’re afraid of starting over.”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Ethan took a breath.
“Because I love you.”
She began crying.
“I love you too.”
Their marriage had started as pretend.
Neither of them expected it to become real.
But there was still a problem.
The will required one year of marriage.
Ethan had a choice.
Keep the marriage for the inheritance.
Or refuse the money and stay with Clara without conditions.
He knew exactly what he would choose.
