Chapter 6: B: The Cost of Hesitation

👉 [Previous Decision]: You chose Option B – Wait for Sam to arrive before showing the letter to anyone.

“Sam is almost here,” I told Chloe, my hand hovering over the letter. “Maybe we should wait for him to get here first. He’ll know how to handle this legally.”

Chloe nodded, her face still pale. “Okay. We’re safe in here for now.”

We waited, listening to the rain outside and Marcus’s increasingly frantic pounding on the vault door. Every minute felt like an hour.

Then, my phone vibrated with an incoming call. It was Aunt Evelyn.

“Maya, what is going on?” she demanded, her voice tight with anger. “Marcus just called. He says you’re holding him hostage, making up wild stories about Mom’s finances. He sounds truly distraught.”

My heart sank. In the minutes we had waited, Marcus had been busy.

“Aunt Evelyn, no! He’s lying! I have his confession, written in his own hand,” I pleaded.

“He says you found some old papers and misunderstood them,” she cut in, her voice cold. “He also claims you assaulted Chloe in a fit of delusion. This behavior is unacceptable. Stay where you are. We’re contacting the authorities.”

The line went dead. Marcus’s pounding on the door outside stopped. A triumphant silence settled.