Chapter 5 - The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
The message remained on my screen.
"Michael Hayes is waiting for you."
I read it again.
And again.
My mind refused to accept it.
For forty-two years, I had believed my father was Richard Cole.
The man who taught me how to ride a bike.
The man who showed up at every school event.
The man who sat beside my hospital bed when I was sick.
The man whose photograph had been on my desk my entire life.
But now Vanessa was telling me that everything I knew was built on a lie.
And the worst part was that I didn't know who to trust anymore.
Not Vanessa.
Not my memories.
Not even the people who raised me.
I looked at the old photograph still sitting on the table.
The young man holding me looked nothing like Richard.
But there was something familiar in his eyes.
Something I couldn't explain.
A feeling.
A connection.
Like some hidden part of me recognized him before my mind did.
"Where is he?"
My voice was cold.
Vanessa looked at me carefully.
"You really want to meet him?"
I stepped closer.
"After everything you've done, you don't get to ask me that."
Her expression remained calm.
That scared me more than anger would have.
"You think I betrayed you."
"You lied to me."
"I kept you alive."
The room went silent.
Rosa looked at Vanessa with disbelief.
"Stop pretending you care about him."
Vanessa turned toward her.
"You know nothing about what happened."
"I know you destroyed his family."
Vanessa smiled slightly.
"No, Rosa. I exposed the family that destroyed him first."
I looked between them.
"Enough."
Both women stopped.
I picked up the photograph.
"Start talking."
Vanessa watched me.
"Your father, Michael Hayes, was investigating a group of businessmen who were hiding financial crimes behind legitimate companies."
I frowned.
"And Richard?"
"Richard Cole was his closest friend."
My breathing slowed.
"Then why did he raise me?"
"Because when Michael disappeared, Richard made a promise."
"What promise?"
Vanessa looked at the photograph.
"To protect his son."
I looked away.
Every answer created another question.
"If Richard knew who my father was, why didn't he tell me?"
"Because someone was watching."
I stared at her.
"Who?"
Vanessa didn't answer immediately.
That hesitation told me everything.
"Who?"
She lowered her voice.
"The same people who wanted Michael Hayes gone."
A cold feeling moved through me.
"Are they still alive?"
Vanessa looked at me.
"Some of them."
The word stayed in the air.
Some.
Not all.
I turned toward Rosa.
"Did you know?"
She looked down.
"I knew Michael was alive."
My heart sank.
"You knew?"
Her eyes filled with guilt.
"I'm sorry."
I stepped back.
"How long?"
"Twenty years."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Twenty years.
The person who had cared for my daughters.
The person I trusted more than almost anyone.
She had known.
"You let me believe my father was dead."
Rosa's voice broke.
"Because I was told that if you searched for him, you would become a target."
I laughed quietly.
Not because it was funny.
Because the entire situation was impossible.
"My whole life was decided by people who thought they knew what was best for me."
Nobody answered.
Because it was true.
I looked upstairs.
My daughters were sleeping.
They had no idea their father was standing in the middle of a storm he never saw coming.
I couldn't let them grow up surrounded by secrets.
Not like I had.
I turned to Vanessa.
"Take me to him."
Rosa immediately stepped forward.
"No."
I looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because if he is contacting you now, there is a reason."
"Maybe I deserve to know the truth."
Rosa shook her head.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
She looked terrified.
"Michael Hayes didn't disappear because he was hiding."
I waited.
"He disappeared because someone was trying to kill him."
The words hit harder than I expected.
"And you think they will come after me?"
Rosa didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
I looked at Vanessa.
For the first time, I didn't see the woman I loved.
I saw someone connected to a mystery that had controlled my entire life.
"How did you find him?"
Vanessa reached into her purse.
She pulled out a small key.
"What is that?"
"A place where your father left everything he couldn't tell you."
I stared at the key.
"Where?"
She looked toward the window.
"An old storage facility outside the city."
I didn't move.
Because something about this felt wrong.
Too easy.
Too convenient.
"You expect me to believe you suddenly want to help me?"
Vanessa looked hurt.
But I didn't trust that expression anymore.
"I never wanted to hurt you."
"You tried to take my company."
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
"That wasn't my decision."
"What does that mean?"
Before she could answer, Daniel called.
I answered immediately.
"Daniel."
His voice was tense.
"Mr. Cole, I found something."
"What?"
"I traced the hidden camera network."
"And?"
"It wasn't just Vanessa."
My expression changed.
"What are you talking about?"
"There were multiple users connected to the system."
My eyes narrowed.
"Who else?"
Daniel hesitated.
Then said:
"Someone named Michael Hayes."
I looked at Vanessa.
She looked surprised.
For the first time, she wasn't pretending.
"That's impossible," she whispered.
I heard Daniel continue.
"Mr. Cole, there's more."
"What?"
"The camera inside your mansion wasn't placed to watch you."
I frowned.
"Then what was it watching?"
Silence.
Then Daniel answered.
"Someone was watching Vanessa."
Nobody spoke.
The entire room changed.
Because suddenly the story was bigger than I thought.
Vanessa wasn't just the person hiding secrets.
Someone had been watching her too.
"Send me everything."
"I already did."
My phone received a file.
I opened it.
A video appeared.
The date was from six months earlier.
The camera angle showed the mansion driveway.
Vanessa was getting out of a car.
She looked nervous.
Then another person stepped out behind her.
The video quality was poor.
But the person was clear enough.
A man.
Older.
Tall.
Walking toward Vanessa.
I paused the video.
My heart started beating faster.
Because I recognized the way he stood.
The way he moved.
The same feeling I had from the photograph.
I pressed play.
The man turned slightly toward the camera.
His face became visible.
I stopped breathing.
Because the man everyone said was dead was standing in my driveway.
And he was looking directly into the hidden camera.
Then the video ended with one final frame.
May you like
A message written across the screen.
"Adrian, if you are watching this, they already know you're looking."
