LAW SHADOWS

CHAPTER 9

Edward's POV

I dropped Dad off and found a quiet place to gather my thoughts. I needed time to process everything. The weight of the truth was suffocating. I understood why Dad did what he did—he wanted a divorce, and no one listened to him. They hid it for our sake, but it still felt wrong.

If Mrs. Anderson knew the truth, then surely her husband did too. Maybe he killed him because of what Grandpa said during that last family meeting—about how he wanted all his children and grandchildren to get a share of his wealth, and found out Williams is not related by blood  and killed him. Mr. Anderson was greedy enough to do it, no doubt. But was that enough of a reason?

I felt overwhelmed like I was drowning in confusion and anger. A part of me wanted to scream, or worse. How had things gotten so twisted?

FLASHBACK

"I don't understand why Mom would agree to take him in. She should've been furious after what you did," I asked Dad, my voice thick with disbelief.

"She was angry," Dad admitted, his voice soft. "After I told her the truth, she didn't speak to me for two days. But then she came to me and said she forgave me. She said it was partly her fault too—for ignoring me when things were bad. She wanted to start fresh and rebuild our trust."

"And just like that, she accepted Williams as her son?" I still couldn't wrap my mind around it.

"At first, I thought she was doing it just to keep her reputation intact," Dad confessed. "But over time, I saw the way she loved you both equally. That's when I realized she truly meant it."

I sat back, stunned. "This is... surprising. Does anyone else in the family know?"

"No," Dad shook his head. "Only your mother and I. She said if she was going to accept Williams as her son, there was no need for anyone else to know. So, we kept it a secret."

"And why tell me now, after all these years?" I asked, my voice quiet. It felt like the air in the room had thickened.

"I don't know," Dad sighed. "But something's changed. It feels like someone else knows the truth."

A chill ran down my spine. "What makes you think that?"

Dad looked at me, his face filled with concern. "Before I left today, Mrs. Anderson whispered something in my ear. She told me to be careful or else everyone would know who Williams is."

My breath caught. "How... how does she know?" I asked, my mind racing.

Dad shook his head, his eyes clouded with worry. "I have no idea."

END OF FLASHBACK

My phone rang. It was Mom.

"Hi, Mom. Everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Ed, I think this case will be tough for you. I've decided to be the judge on it."

"But Mom..." I began to protest.

"Ed, he may be my brother, but I'm a mother too. He killed my son, and I'll make sure he's punished."

"Mom, you know the law doesn't work that way. He needs to be found guilty first."

"All the evidence points to him, Ed. What more do we need?"

I could tell she was consumed by grief. "Mom, this case needs patience. If anything goes wrong during the trial, it'll be hard for you to handle."