Chapter 7: The Name on the Screen
For three seconds, I couldn’t understand what Dad had said.
Not because the words were complicated.
Because they were impossible.
“Your father?””
The question came out as a whisper.
Dad looked at me, then back at the screen.
“No.””
He shook his head quickly.
“I mean the file says it was created under your father’s account.””
My heart was still racing.
“But that doesn’t make sense.””
“I know.””
“Dad, you didn’t do this.””
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that tiny hesitation scared me more than anything else.
Because for the first time that night, he looked confused.
Not angry.
Not certain.
Confused.
Officer Martinez had already taken Linda’s devices, but Dad’s laptop was still sitting on the kitchen table. The investigation had barely begun, and somehow another mystery had appeared.
A file created under his name.
A fake confession written as if it came from me.
A document designed to destroy everything I had worked for.
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“Emma, I need you to trust me.””
I stared at him.
“I do.””
It was true.
Even after everything, I knew my father.
He made mistakes.
He ignored warning signs.
He let someone manipulate him.
But he wasn’t someone who would destroy his own daughter.
“I need to figure out how this happened.””
He picked up his phone.
“Who are you calling?””
“Someone who knows computers.””
Ten minutes later, my father’s friend Daniel arrived.
Daniel worked in cybersecurity and had helped Dad recover files years ago when his old computer crashed.
He walked into the kitchen, saw our faces, and immediately knew something was wrong.
“What happened?””
Dad pointed toward the laptop.
“Someone created a fake document using my account.””
Daniel sat down.
“Show me.””
I watched as he examined the file.
He clicked through the information slowly.
The room was silent.
Finally, he leaned back.
“This is interesting.””
Dad frowned.
“Interesting?””
“Whoever did this wanted it to look like it came from you.””
“That’s obvious.””
“No.””
Daniel shook his head.
“They wanted you to find it.””
My stomach tightened.
“What do you mean?””
Daniel turned the screen toward us.
“Look at the file creation path.””
I leaned closer.
There was a strange string of numbers and letters.
“This file wasn’t created on your laptop.””
Dad looked confused.
“Then why does it show my account?””
“Because someone copied your profile.””
I felt cold.
“So they stole his identity?””
Daniel nodded.
“Digitally, yes.””
Dad looked at me.
“Linda?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Maybe. But whoever did this knew what they were doing.””
He clicked another section.
Then stopped.
“Wait.””
“What?””
“There’s something else.””
He enlarged the information.
A location appeared.
Not our house.
Not Linda’s device.
A different address.
I looked at Dad.
“Where is that?””
His face changed.
Because he recognized it.
“That’s my office.””
Silence.
My father’s office.
The place where he kept his work computer.
The place where important documents were stored.
The place where he spent most of his days.
Dad stood up.
“I need to go there.””
“No,” I said immediately.
He looked at me.
“Emma.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“But you’re already being pulled into this. Someone is trying to make you look guilty too.””
He softened.
“You’re right.””
That surprised me.
I expected him to argue.
Instead, he sat back down.
“You’re right.””
He looked exhausted.
“But I need answers.””
That night, we barely slept.
The next morning, Dad and I went to his office together.
The building was quiet.
Most employees hadn’t arrived yet.
His assistant, Rachel, looked surprised to see us.
“Michael? What are you doing here this early?””
Dad didn’t smile.
“Rachel, did anyone use my computer yesterday?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation told us everything.
Dad noticed.
“Rachel.””
She lowered her voice.
“Your brother came by.””
My stomach dropped.
“Robert?””
Rachel nodded.
“He said he needed to drop something off.””
Dad looked at me.
“What did he do?””
“I don’t know. He was only there for a few minutes.””
Dad walked toward his office.
The door was locked.
He unlocked it.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
His computer sat exactly where he left it.
His papers were organized.
His chair was pushed in.
Then Daniel, who had joined us remotely, called.
“Michael.””
Dad answered.
“Yeah?””
“I found something from the office security system.””
We put him on speaker.
“What?””
“Your brother wasn’t there for a few minutes.””
A pause.
“He was there for almost an hour.””
My father’s expression darkened.
“Send me the footage.””
The video loaded.
There was Robert.
My uncle.
Walking into Dad’s office.
Closing the door.
Opening the computer.
My hands curled into fists.
“He did it.””
Dad didn’t answer.
He just watched.
But then something happened.
The video continued.
And another person entered.
Someone I recognized.
Someone I never expected.
Linda.
She walked into the office behind Robert.
My breath caught.
Dad whispered:
“They were working together.””
The footage showed them talking.
Pointing at the computer.
Looking through files.
Then Robert handed Linda a folder.
She put it inside her purse.
Dad stared at the screen.
“What folder?””
Daniel answered.
“We need the original footage from security.””
Then the video froze.
A notification appeared.
*Camera feed interrupted.*
Dad looked confused.
“What happened?””
Daniel was silent.
Then he said:
“Someone deleted the next ten minutes.””
My stomach dropped.
Someone had planned this.
Someone had covered their tracks.
Dad looked at me.
And I saw something in his eyes.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
Because this was bigger than a stolen email.
Bigger than a fake scholarship withdrawal.
Someone had spent months building a case against me.
And now we knew there was another person behind it.
My uncle.
But as we walked out of the office, Dad’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed.
“What?””
I looked at him.
“Who is it?””
He slowly lowered the phone.
“The university.””
My heart stopped.
“What did they say?””
Dad looked at me.
“They found another file.””
I swallowed.
“What file?””
May you like
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“They found a document that says you confessed to cheating.””
