Chapter 7 - The House Where The Dead Man Waited
A door opened inside the abandoned family house and a voice whispered: "Roman, I knew you would come."
I entered the room and found my father-in-law’s old family portrait hanging on the wall.
A hidden message was written behind the frame: "Your wife never told you who saved her."
I finally realized Naomi’s disappearance was not the only secret buried in this house.
The old family house stood at the edge of the city.
The place had been empty for years.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
The moment I saw the building, I knew something was wrong.
A house this important was never truly abandoned.
Not in my world.
Not in a family like the D’Angelos.
I stood beside Naomi.
She stared at the house with tears in her eyes.
"You haven't been here since that night?"
I asked.
She shook her head.
"No."
Her voice was quiet.
"I promised myself I would never come back."
I looked at her.
"Why?"
She looked toward the dark windows.
"Because this was where everything started."
Adrian stepped closer.
"We don't have much time."
I looked at him.
"Explain."
He checked his phone.
"The message was sent from inside the house."
My eyes narrowed.
"My father-in-law sent it."
Adrian nodded.
"But that shouldn't be possible."
I looked at the building.
"Unless he is alive."
Nobody spoke.
The three of us walked toward the entrance.
The front door was unlocked.
Again.
Someone wanted us inside.
I pushed it open.
The smell hit me immediately.
Old wood.
Dust.
Memories.
Naomi stopped behind me.
I looked back.
She was staring at the hallway.
The same hallway where she grew up.
The same place where she lost her family.
"Roman..."
I turned.
"Stay close."
She nodded.
We entered.
The house looked untouched.
Furniture covered with white sheets.
Old paintings on the walls.
Family photographs everywhere.
But something was different.
Someone had been living here.
A fresh cup of coffee sat on the table.
A fireplace was still warm.
And on the wall was a large portrait.
Naomi's father.
The man who was supposed to be dead.
I walked closer.
"Why would he want us here?"
Naomi didn't answer.
Adrian did.
"Because he wants something."
"What?"
Adrian looked at Naomi.
"Her."
Naomi froze.
I immediately stepped in front of her.
"No."
Then the lights turned on.
Every light in the house.
One by one.
A slow sound echoed from upstairs.
Footsteps.
Someone walking toward us.
Naomi grabbed my arm.
"Roman."
The footsteps stopped.
A voice came from the second floor.
"You finally brought him home."
My entire body became tense.
That voice.
Older.
Calm.
Powerful.
The voice of someone who believed he controlled everything.
A man appeared at the top of the stairs.
Gray hair.
Expensive suit.
A cold expression.
But the most shocking thing wasn't his appearance.
It was the fact that I recognized him.
From every family portrait.
From every story.
From every rumor.
Naomi's father.
The man who had been dead for five years.
Naomi covered her mouth.
"No..."
The man smiled.
"Hello, daughter."
She stepped backward.
"You died."
He slowly walked down the stairs.
"That's what I needed everyone to believe."
I watched Naomi.
The pain on her face was real.
She wasn't pretending.
She didn't know.
"Why?"
Her father stopped.
"Because disappearing was the only way to see who would betray me."
His eyes moved toward me.
"And who would protect my family."
I stepped forward.
"You almost destroyed your own daughter."
He looked at me.
"You don't understand the world we live in, Roman."
I laughed coldly.
"No."
I looked around.
"I understand perfectly."
My voice lowered.
"You used your daughter's fear. You let your own granddaughter be hunted. You let me believe my wife was dead."
His expression didn't change.
"Your wife made choices."
Naomi looked at him.
"What are you talking about?"
He turned toward her.
"You thought you could leave."
"I wanted to protect my children."
He smiled.
"Your children."
The way he said it made something inside me tighten.
Like he wasn't talking about family.
He was talking about ownership.
I moved closer.
"They are my children."
His eyes turned toward me.
"Are they?"
Silence.
Naomi looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
He reached into his jacket.
Then placed a folder on the table.
"Everything you need to know is inside."
I didn't move.
Neither did Naomi.
"Open it."
I looked at Adrian.
He looked nervous.
That worried me.
Because Adrian was the only person in the room who seemed to know what was coming.
I opened the folder.
The first page was a medical report.
Naomi's pregnancy records.
The second page was a DNA test.
My hands stopped.
I stared at the results.
No.
Impossible.
I looked at Naomi.
She looked terrified.
"Roman..."
I couldn't speak.
Her father watched me carefully.
"Now you understand why Naomi never told you."
My breathing became heavier.
The report showed something I never expected.
The twins.
The children I thought were mine.
Had a secret.
I looked at Naomi.
"Tell me this isn't real."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I can explain."
I stepped back.
Not because I didn't love her.
Because I didn't know what was real anymore.
"Explain."
She opened her mouth.
But before she could speak, her father interrupted.
"She cannot."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
He smiled.
"Because she doesn't know the entire truth."
Adrian suddenly moved.
"Enough."
Everyone looked at him.
He walked toward the table.
"Roman deserves to know everything."
Naomi's father stared at him.
"You were always weak."
Adrian's expression changed.
"No."
He looked at Naomi.
"I was protecting her."
Then he turned toward me.
"The DNA report is real."
My heart dropped.
"But it's incomplete."
I stared.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian took a breath.
"It means someone changed the samples."
Naomi's father remained silent.
And that silence told me everything.
Someone had manipulated the evidence.
Someone wanted me to doubt Naomi.
Someone wanted to destroy the family from inside.
I looked at the old man.
"You."
He smiled.
"You are finally understanding."
My anger exploded.
"You killed my trust."
"No."
He stepped closer.
"I tested it."
Then he pointed toward Naomi.
"She lied to you."
I looked at my wife.
She looked broken.
"Roman..."
I couldn't answer.
Because at that moment, my phone vibrated.
A new message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
A video appeared.
The video showed Naomi.
But younger.
Before she disappeared.
She was sitting in this same house.
And she was crying.
The message below the video said:
"Watch until the end."
I pressed play.
Naomi looked directly into the camera.
"Roman, if you are seeing this, it means my father found you."
I froze.
Then she whispered:
"But there is something you need to know about the twins..."
The video suddenly cut.
The screen went black.
Then one final frame appeared.
A person standing beside Naomi.
A person I knew.
A person who had been helping us the entire time.
May you like
I looked up slowly.
Because the person in the video was standing in the room with us.
