Aaron's expression changed slightly.
He lowered his gaze, clearly struggling to find the right words.
Jason noticed his hesitation.
His eyes narrowed. "Uncle Aaron?"
Aaron finally exchanged a look with Ray. Ray gave him a small nod.
Aaron took a slow breath and sat up straighter. "Jason... there are some things about Olivia and the accident that you don't know."
Jason immediately straightened.
His expression became serious. "What are you talking about?"
"You've been away from home for the past two years because of your training," Aaron explained.
He sighed heavily. "Before you left, we decided that when you returned, we would tell you everything."
Jason's expression hardened. "Everything?"
Aaron nodded. "We thought it would be safer to keep you away from the truth until we had enough evidence."
Jason suddenly stood up. "But enough evidence for what?"
Ray's expression turned grim. "The accident."
Jason stared at his father. "What about it?"
Aaron looked at Jason for several seconds. The silence in the room seemed to grow heavier.
Finally, he spoke. "The person who hurt Anne three years ago..."
Aaron paused.
Jason's heart began pounding.
"...was Olivia."
Jason froze. For a moment, he couldn't even breathe.
"What?" His voice came out barely above a whisper. Aaron's expression remained serious.
"Olivia was responsible for what happened to Anne."
Jason took a step backward. His eyes widened in disbelief. "No..."
He shook his head. "I don't understand."
"Jason—"
"No."
Jason raised his hand, stopping Aaron from continuing.
His mind refused to accept what he had just heard. "Why would Olivia do something like that?"
His voice trembled with disbelief. "She loves me. She would never..."
His voice faltered.
Suddenly, memories began rushing through his mind. The countless times Olivia had cried in front of him. The moments when she had acted innocent. The times she had accused Anne of treating her badly. The way she had always managed to make everyone feel sorry for her.
Jason's expression slowly changed. He looked between Ray and Aaron. "You're telling me that all these years..."
His voice became quieter. "You knew?"
Neither man answered immediately. Jason's breathing became heavier. Anger and disbelief burned in his eyes. "Then why didn't you tell me?"
Ray finally spoke. "We couldn't."
Jason stared at him. "Why?"
"Because we were still trying to uncover the entire truth."
Jason clenched his fists. "There has to be more to this."
Aaron nodded slowly. "There is."
Jason remained silent.
Aaron looked toward Ray once more before turning back toward him. "There are things that happened before you left. Things you were never told."
Jason's expression hardened. "What things?"
Aaron took a slow breath. "Three years ago, everything changed."
He paused. "And now, Jason... I think it's time you knew everything."
Jason stared at him. His heart was pounding harder with every passing second. "What are you talking about?"
Aaron's expression became grim. "Jason... Olivia is not my daughter."
Jason stared at him in disbelief. "What?"
"Olivia is not my daughter," Aaron repeated firmly.
Jason's mind went blank. "But..." He struggled to find the words.
"You said she was your daughter."
Aaron's expression remained cold. "There are things about Olivia's identity that you were never told."
Jason shook his head. "Then why...?"
"Why did we allow her to stay close to you?" Aaron finished the question for him.
"That is exactly what we are going to explain."
He leaned forward slightly. "That is the reason we told you to pretend to be close to her."
Jason stared at him.
"We needed to keep Olivia from becoming suspicious while we tried to uncover the truth."
The room fell silent again. Jason stood motionless, trying to process everything he had just heard. For years, he had believed he understood the people around him.
He had believed he knew Olivia.
He had believed he knew what had happened to Anne.
But suddenly, everything he thought he knew seemed to be nothing more than a carefully constructed lie.
And for the first time in years, Jason wondered just how much of his past had been hidden from him.
"We still don't know the entire reason behind what she did to Anne," Aaron added, his expression becoming more serious. "We're still trying to find out what motivated her."
Ray's expression darkened. "And we have reason to believe that Olivia may not have acted alone."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "You think there's someone else behind all of this?"
Aaron nodded slowly. "That is what we suspect. But until we have concrete proof, we can't be certain."
Jason remained silent. His mind was overwhelmed by everything he had just learned.
For years, he had believed Olivia loved him.
For years, he had played the role of the devoted man beside her, pretending to return her feelings while secretly doing everything he could to protect Anne.
He had endured Olivia's clinginess, her tears, and her endless attempts to keep him close because he had believed there was no other choice.
But now he was being told something he had never imagined.
The woman he had pretended to love had deliberately tried to hurt Anne.
And even worse, Olivia might not have acted alone. There could be someone else behind everything. Someone who had been manipulating things from the shadows.
Jason felt stunned.
His thoughts were tangled, and for the first time in years, he found himself questioning everything that had happened around him.
Who was Olivia really? Why had she targeted Anne? And if someone else was involved, what did they want?
Before Jason could ask another question, the sudden ringing of his phone broke the heavy silence in the room. Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He glanced at the screen. He recognized the caller immediately.
For a moment, he considered ignoring it. He wanted to hear the rest of Aaron's explanation. There were still too many questions running through his mind, and he wasn't willing to leave without getting answers.
But a few seconds later, the phone rang again.
Aaron looked at him. "Take it. It might be urgent."
Jason hesitated before finally answering the call. "Excuse me."
He stood up and walked a short distance away from the desk before answering.
"Hello?"
The moment he heard the voice on the other end, his expression changed. "What?"
Jason's eyes narrowed as he listened carefully. He remained silent for several seconds. "Okay. I'll be right there."
He ended the call and immediately turned toward Ray and Aaron. "I'm sorry, but there's an issue at the company. I need to get there immediately."
His expression was serious. "Apparently, it's something that can only be resolved by me."
Ray nodded. "It's fine. You don't have to worry about it. We can continue this conversation later."