Chapter 7: The People Who Wanted Me Gone
The first sound I heard was glass breaking.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just a sharp crack in the darkness.
A window.
Someone was inside.
My breathing stopped.
The auto shop that had felt like a place where we could finally uncover the truth suddenly became a trap.
Walter stood near the wall, holding a heavy metal wrench.
Theo grabbed my arm.
My father moved in front of us.
The same man who had spent years making me feel like I was never his priority was now standing between me and danger.
I didn’t know what to feel about that.
Fear.
Anger.
Confusion.
Maybe all three.
“Back door,” Walter whispered.
Theo looked around.
“There is no back door.””
Walter pointed toward a narrow hallway.
“There is always a way out in a place like this.””
My father looked at me.
“Imara, you need to go.””
I stared at him.
“You don’t get to order me around.””
His expression tightened.
“This isn’t about control.””
“Then what is it about?””
His voice dropped.
“Survival.””
Before I could answer, footsteps echoed across the shop floor.
Slow.
Calm.
Whoever was walking wasn’t searching.
They already knew where we were.
A voice called from the darkness.
“Richard.””
My father froze.
I noticed.
“Who is that?””
He didn’t respond.
The voice came again.
“You’ve made this much harder than it needed to be.””
Walter’s face turned pale.
He whispered:
“Victor.””
My father looked at him.
“You know him?””
Walter nodded slowly.
“I know exactly who he is.””
The footsteps stopped.
A man stepped into the faint light from the street.
He looked nothing like the criminals I had imagined.
No mask.
No weapon in his hand.
Just an expensive coat, polished shoes, and a calm smile.
That almost made him worse.
Danger didn’t always look dangerous.
Sometimes it looked successful.
“Walter,” the man said.
“Still protecting dead men’s secrets?””
Walter gripped the wrench tighter.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
The man smiled.
“And yet here I am.””
My father stepped forward.
“Victor, this has nothing to do with her.””
The man looked at him.
A small smile appeared.
“Richard.””
The way he said my father’s name made my skin crawl.
“You still think you’re in control.””
I looked at my father.
“You know him.””
My father didn’t answer.
The man looked at me.
And I felt something cold move through my body.
Recognition.
Not from me.
From him.
Like he had been waiting years to see me.
“So this is Elena’s daughter.””
My stomach dropped.
My father moved immediately.
“Don’t.””
The man laughed softly.
“Still protective.””
I stared at him.
“Who are you?””
He smiled.
“My name is Victor Hale.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But my father’s reaction did.
His face changed.
Like I had just heard the name of a ghost.
“You were supposed to be gone,” Victor said.
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Victor ignored me.
He looked at my father.
“You had one job.””
My father’s voice was low.
“I kept her safe.””
“No.””
Victor shook his head.
“You hid her.””
A pause.
“And then you got sentimental.””
My blood ran cold.
“What are you talking about?””
Victor looked at me.
“Your father was supposed to hand you over.””
The room went silent.
I turned toward my father.
“What?””
My father looked horrified.
“No.””
Victor smiled.
“Tell her.””
“Victor, stop.””
“Tell her how you made a deal.””
I stared at my father.
“What deal?””
He didn’t answer.
That was all I needed.
The truth was always hiding in the silence.
My father finally spoke.
“After Elena died, I was scared.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You keep saying that.””
He looked at me.
“Because it’s true.””
“Fear doesn’t excuse everything.””
“I know.””
His voice broke.
“I know.””
The admission surprised me.
He continued.
“I found out people were looking for you. I knew Elena had discovered something dangerous. I knew they would come after you.””
He looked at Victor.
“And he was one of them.””
Victor smiled.
“I was the solution.””
My father ignored him.
“I made a deal.””
My chest tightened.
“With him?””
My father nodded.
“I thought I could protect you.””
“How?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“I agreed to make it look like you disappeared.””
The words felt impossible.
“You erased me.””
“No.””
“You changed my records.””
“Yes.””
“You stole my entire life.””
His voice became quiet.
“Yes.””
I looked away.
For years, I had wondered why my father never fought for me.
Now I knew.
He had fought.
But not in the way I needed.
He fought by hiding me.
By controlling me.
By turning my life into a secret.
And somehow, that hurt almost as much as the betrayal itself.
Theo stepped forward.
“So why are you here?””
Victor looked at him.
“Because secrets become dangerous when people start sharing them.””
Theo’s face hardened.
“You threatened my sister.””
Victor smiled.
“Your sister was never supposed to know.””
My hands curled into fists.
“You mean I was never supposed to know who I was.””
Victor looked at me.
“Exactly.””
I felt something inside me break.
Not because he said it.
Because he said it like my identity was an inconvenience.
Like my existence was a mistake.
Walter stepped forward.
“You don’t get to decide that.””
Victor looked at him.
“You’re still loyal to Richard’s father?””
“Yes.””
“Even after he’s dead?””
“Especially because he’s dead.””
Victor laughed.
“You old men and your loyalty.””
He took another step.
“Give me the notebook.””
Nobody moved.
Victor’s smile disappeared.
“Richard.””
My father looked at him.
“No.””
The word surprised everyone.
Including me.
Victor tilted his head.
“You’re refusing?””
My father stepped closer to me.
“Yes.””
“After everything?””
My father looked at me.
And when he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
“I already failed her once.””
Silence.
“I won’t do it again.””
For a second, nobody moved.
Then Victor sighed.
“Unfortunately, Richard, you still don’t understand.””
He reached into his coat.
My body tensed.
But instead of a weapon, he pulled out a photograph.
He held it up.
Even from across the room, I could see it.
A picture of a young woman.
My mother.
Elena.
My heart stopped.
Victor noticed.
“You want to know the truth?””
I stared.
“Yes.””
He smiled.
“Then ask yourself why your grandfather spent years looking for the person who killed her.””
My father looked at him sharply.
“Don’t.””
Victor continued.
“Ask yourself why Richard never told you that Elena wasn’t killed because she discovered corruption.””
I froze.
“Then why was she killed?””
Victor looked directly at me.
“Because she discovered who your biological father really was.””
The room became silent.
My father whispered:
“That’s enough.””
Victor ignored him.
“Your mother wasn’t just carrying a child.””
My fingers tightened around the notebook.
“What are you saying?””
Victor smiled.
“She was carrying an inheritance.””
I frowned.
“What inheritance?””
He looked at my father.
Then back at me.
“The kind that makes people kill.””
A loud noise came from outside.
More cars.
More people.
Theo looked toward the window.
“How many are there?””
Nobody answered.
Victor reached out his hand.
“Give me the notebook, Imara.””
I held it tighter.
“No.””
His smile returned.
“Then I suppose we do this the hard way.””
My father stepped forward.
But before he could move, Walter shouted:
“Now!””
The lights suddenly came back on.
The old shop exploded into motion.
Theo grabbed my hand.
We ran toward the hallway.
Behind us, I heard shouting.
Metal crashing.
My father yelling my name.
We reached the back exit.
Theo pushed the door open.
Cold rain hit my face.
We stumbled into the alley.
I turned around.
My father was still inside.
“Dad!””
He looked at me.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he shouted:
“Run!””
I hated that I listened.
But I did.
Theo pulled me through the rain.
We reached the truck.
I looked back one more time.
The shop lights flickered.
Then went dark.
And my father disappeared inside.
As we drove away, my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then I saw the message.
One sentence.
My blood froze.
*Your father is alive, but if you want him back, bring Grandpa’s notebook to the place where Elena died.*
I looked at Theo.
He saw my face.
“What happened?””
I stared at the message.
Then whispered:
“We’re going to find my mother’s grave.””
May you like
And for the first time since opening Grandpa’s notebook, I realized the truth wasn’t buried.
It was waiting.
