Chapter 4: The Voice Behind the Walls
The sound of my father’s voice coming through the speakers was worse than a stranger’s threat.
Because strangers were easy.
You could hate them.
You could fear them.
You could run from them.
But a ghost from your childhood?
That was different.
That reached somewhere deeper.
Somewhere I had spent years trying not to touch.
“Hello, Clara.””
The words echoed through the dark mansion.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
My entire life had been built around one painful truth.
My father left.
My mother raised me alone.
Then she died.
That was the story.
The only story.
But now a voice that shouldn’t exist was speaking my name like he had said it every day.
“Who is he?”” I whispered.
Nobody answered.
The emergency lights flickered on, painting the room in a dim red glow.
Rico stood in front of me.
His entire body had changed.
The calm businessman was gone.
The grieving father was gone.
The man standing there now was the one people whispered about.
The dangerous one.
“Find the source,” Rico ordered.
Dante immediately touched his earpiece.
“Already trying.””
The speakers crackled.
A quiet laugh followed.
“Still giving orders, Ricardo?””
Rico’s face hardened.
“You should have stayed dead.””
My stomach twisted.
Because there was history between them.
A history nobody had told me about.
The voice laughed again.
“You always were dramatic.””
I stepped around Rico.
“Who are you?””
His eyes moved toward me.
“Clara.””
The way he said my name made my skin crawl.
Not because it was cruel.
Because it was familiar.
Like hearing a song you forgot you knew.
“I’m your father.””
The room went silent.
Even the alarms seemed to disappear.
I stared at the speaker.
“No.””
A pause.
Then:
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
Rico looked back at me.
“Clara—”
I turned toward him.
“You knew.””
It wasn’t a question.
His silence answered.
“You knew he was alive.””
Rico’s expression tightened.
“I knew he was alive.””
“And you never told me?””
“I was trying to protect you.””
I laughed once.
A sharp, broken sound.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
My hands trembled.
“My mother protected me. You protected me. Everyone protected me.””
I looked around the room.
“But nobody thought I deserved the truth.””
Rico didn’t argue.
That hurt more.
The speaker came alive again.
“Elena always underestimated how much you would hate being lied to.””
My head snapped toward it.
“Don’t talk about my mother.””
Silence.
Then the voice softened.
“She was always brave.””
Something inside me broke.
Because that was the first thing he had said that sounded like a memory.
Not a threat.
Not a game.
A memory.
“You knew her.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Another pause.
Then:
“Because she loved me.””
Rico moved instantly.
“Don’t.””
The single word carried so much anger that Dante looked at him.
My eyes moved between them.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody answered.
I felt something cold settle in my chest.
A terrible realization.
“My mother loved you?””
The speaker stayed silent.
Rico closed his eyes briefly.
“Clara.””
“No.””
I backed away.
“No, don’t do that.””
“Do what?””
“Look at me like I’m too fragile to handle it.””
Rico’s expression changed.
Because he knew I was right.
“I’m not a child.””
“No.””
His voice lowered.
“But you’re Elena’s daughter.””
The way he said it almost sounded like an apology.
The speakers crackled.
“Ricardo always thought he could save everyone.””
The voice became colder.
“He couldn’t save Elena.””
My stomach dropped.
“What happened to her?””
Rico didn’t answer.
I looked at him.
“What happened to my mother?””
The room held its breath.
Then Rico said quietly:
“She died because she found out the truth.””
A sudden noise interrupted him.
A loud crash from somewhere upstairs.
Everyone froze.
Dante immediately turned.
“Leo.””
Rico moved before anyone else.
He ran.
Actually ran.
For the first time, I saw him forget everything except his son.
I followed.
I didn’t know why.
Maybe because Leo was the only innocent person in this entire nightmare.
Maybe because I knew what it felt like to wake up and realize someone you loved was gone.
We reached Leo’s room.
The door was open.
The little boy stood beside his bed, crying.
“Daddy!””
Rico dropped to his knees.
Leo ran into him.
And Rico held him so tightly it looked like he was afraid reality would take him away too.
“What happened?”” Rico asked.
Leo pointed toward the window.
“He was there.””
Everyone went still.
Dante checked the room.
“Who?””
Leo buried his face into Rico’s shoulder.
“The man.””
Rico looked toward the window.
The curtains moved slightly.
Dante approached.
Nothing.
No one.
But on the glass was something written.
Not with paint.
Not with ink.
A single word.
*DAUGHTER*
I felt my blood run cold.
Rico saw it.
His face changed.
Because he knew exactly what it meant.
“Who is he?”” I asked.
Rico didn’t look at me.
“Someone who should never have found you.””
I stepped closer.
“That’s not an answer.””
He finally turned.
And this time, he looked less like a powerful man.
He looked like someone remembering a nightmare.
“Your father.””
The room became silent.
Then my phone rang.
Everyone looked at me.
The number on the screen was unknown.
But I already knew who it was.
I answered.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then a man whispered:
“Clara…”
I closed my eyes.
Because hearing him directly was somehow worse.
“Why did you leave?””
The line went silent.
Then he said:
“Because your mother asked me to.””
I froze.
“What?””
A shaky breath.
“Because she knew what would happen if I stayed.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“What happened to my mother?””
May you like
The answer came quietly.
“She was murdered.””
