Chapter 13: The Person Who Started It All
The video froze.
My father’s face remained on the screen.
His eyes were full of something I had never seen before.
Fear.
Not the fear of losing money.
Not the fear of losing power.
The fear of losing his family.
I replayed the last sentence.
It’s the person who taught them how.
The room felt silent.
Too silent.
“Who?”” I whispered.
My mother sat beside me, staring at the screen.
“I don’t know.””
I looked at her.
“You’re sure?””
She nodded.
“Your father never told me.””
“Why?””
“Because he thought knowing would put me in danger.””
I looked back at the video.
My father had spent years protecting us from something we didn’t even know existed.
And somehow, after all that time…
They still found a way in.
The video continued.
My father appeared again.
“If you’re watching this, Daniel, listen carefully.””
I leaned closer.
“Do not confront them.””
My stomach tightened.
“Do not accuse them.””
“Do not tell them you know.””
“People like this don’t panic when they are exposed.””
He paused.
“They panic when they lose control.””
The screen flickered.
Then another image appeared.
A document.
A list of names.
My father’s voice continued.
“These are the people connected to the plan.””
I stared.
The first name.
Mark Carter.
My brother.
The second.
Rebecca Lane.
The third.
Dr. Rebecca Lane.
The fourth name was unfamiliar.
But the fifth made me freeze.
*Thomas Carter.*
My father’s business partner.
The man in the video Claire found.
The man who had been at my wedding.
The man who had smiled at me while knowing everything.
I looked at my mother.
“Thomas.””
Her face changed.
“You know him?””
“He was my father’s partner.””
My mother closed her eyes.
“No.””
“What?””
“He wasn’t just his partner.””
She looked terrified.
“He was his best friend.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
The betrayal was getting deeper.
“How?””
My mother swallowed.
“Your father trusted him more than anyone.””
I stared at the screen.
The man who had been closest to my father.
The man who had access to everything.
The man who could have known about the trust.
About Emily.
About the conditions.
The video continued.
My father’s voice became quieter.
“Thomas believes he deserves what I built.””
The words hit me.
“He believes my family took something from him.””
I stopped.
Something.
Not money.
Something personal.
My father continued:
“He will use other people to do what he cannot do himself.””
The screen went black.
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A familiar voice.
Thomas.
“Daniel.””
My blood went cold.
“How did you get this number?””
A small laugh.
“Daniel, I’ve known your number since you were a child.””
I stood.
“What do you want?””
“Talk.””
“No.””
“Then listen.””
I said nothing.
Thomas sighed.
“You think I’m the villain.””
“You were in my house.””
“I was helping.””
“You watched my daughter.””
“I protected her.””
The anger came instantly.
“You don’t get to say that.””
“I know what you think.””
“No, you don’t.””
“Yes, I do.””
His voice changed.
“You think I wanted Emily hurt.””
I looked upstairs.
“You did.””
“No.””
A pause.
“I wanted Emily safe.””
The answer confused me.
“What?””
“Daniel, Rebecca and Mark became too emotional. They wanted control.””
“Then why did you help them?””
“Because I needed to know how far they would go.””
I laughed.
“You’re telling me this was an experiment?””
“No.””
“Then what?””
Thomas became quiet.
“Your father made a mistake.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“Don’t talk about him.””
“He trusted people too easily.””
“So did I.””
“Yes.””
The honesty made me uncomfortable.
“What do you want?””
“I want you to stop.””
“Stop what?””
“Looking.””
My eyes moved to the video.
“Why?””
“Because the truth will destroy your family.””
I almost laughed.
“My family is already destroyed.””
“No.””
His voice became softer.
“You still have a chance.””
“Where is Rebecca?””
Silence.
“Thomas.””
“I don’t know.””
“You’re lying.””
“I’m not.””
Then he said something unexpected.
“Daniel, Rebecca was never the final move.””
My heart raced.
“What does that mean?””
“It means the wedding wasn’t the plan.””
“What was?””
A pause.
Then:
“The wedding was the test.””
I felt sick.
“The test for what?””
“To see if you would choose your daughter.””
I stared.
“That makes no sense.””
“It does to them.””
“Who?””
Thomas didn’t answer.
“Who?””
Finally, he whispered:
“Your father’s family.””
I froze.
“My father’s family?””
“You have been looking at the wrong generation.””
The call ended.
I stood there, unable to move.
My father’s family.
A family I barely knew.
A family that disappeared after his death.
A family nobody talked about.
Then my laptop chimed.
A new email.
No sender.
One attachment.
A photograph.
I opened it.
It was a family photo.
My father.
His parents.
His siblings.
And behind them…
A little girl.
A little girl holding my father’s hand.
May you like
Under the photo was one sentence.
You never asked why your father abandoned his sister.
