Chapter 6 - The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
The room went silent.
Not normal silence.
The kind of silence that comes when everyone knows the truth is finally standing in front of them.
I looked at the screen.
The security footage was still playing.
My mother.
Walking into the building.
Alive.
Six years after her funeral.
Six years after I watched her coffin disappear beneath the ground.
Six years after everyone told me I had lost her forever.
My hands were shaking.
"This isn't possible."
Nobody answered.
I looked at my father.
"Explain this."
He didn't move.
That scared me more than anything.
Because Richard Carter always had an answer.
He always knew what to say.
When I was a child and asked why my mother was sick, he had an explanation.
When she died, he had an explanation.
When I questioned his decisions, he had an explanation.
But now?
Nothing.
Only fear.
"Who was she meeting?" I asked.
My father's eyes moved toward the screen.
Then toward Thomas.
Thomas looked away.
That was when I realized something.
Everyone knew.
Everyone except me.
My entire life, I had been the last person to learn the truth about my own family.
I turned toward Claire.
"How long?"
She looked confused.
"Daniel..."
"How long did you know she was alive?"
Her face changed.
Not because she was guilty.
Because she was hurt.
"I didn't know."
I stared at her.
"Then why aren't you surprised?"
Claire looked down.
"Because your mother told me something before your wedding."
My heart stopped.
"What did she tell you?"
Claire took a deep breath.
"She told me that if you ever discovered the truth, you would hate everyone around you."
I laughed quietly.
"She was right."
Claire stepped closer.
"Daniel, listen to me."
"No."
I shook my head.
"Everyone keeps telling me to listen."
I pointed at the screen.
"My mother was alive."
I looked at my father.
"You knew."
I looked at Thomas.
"You knew."
I looked at Claire.
"You knew something."
My voice broke.
"And I was the only person who didn't."
Nobody spoke.
Then Thomas finally said:
"Your mother didn't die."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
Even though I already knew.
Even though I saw the proof.
Hearing it said out loud made it real.
"Then what happened?"
Thomas sat down slowly.
"Six years ago, your mother discovered what Richard was hiding."
My father looked away.
"She found financial records."
"What kind of records?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Payments."
"To who?"
He looked at me.
"To people connected to Michael."
The name again.
Michael.
The man from the photograph.
The man my mother feared.
"Who was Michael?"
Thomas's expression became serious.
"Your mother's brother."
I froze.
"My mother's brother?"
I shook my head.
"No."
My mother never had a brother.
At least, that's what I had been told.
Thomas looked at Richard.
"That's what he wanted you to believe."
I looked at my father.
"You erased him."
My father finally spoke.
"Daniel, you don't understand."
I stepped toward him.
"Then explain."
His face was tired.
Older.
For the first time, he didn't look like the powerful man everyone respected.
He looked like someone who had been running from something for years.
"Michael was dangerous."
"To who?"
My father didn't answer.
"To who?"
My voice echoed through the room.
"To you?"
Silence.
"Or to the truth?"
My father looked at me.
And then he said something I never expected.
"Your mother wasn't trying to expose me."
I frowned.
"Then what was she doing?"
He looked at the screen.
"She was trying to protect you."
The words confused me.
"From what?"
Nobody answered.
I grabbed the flash drive again.
I searched through the files.
There were more folders.
Hidden.
Encrypted.
One was named:
"Daniel - After."
My stomach dropped.
I opened it.
Inside was a video.
Recorded six years ago.
I pressed play.
My mother's face appeared.
This time she was crying.
Not scared.
Heartbroken.
"Daniel, if you're seeing this, I'm sorry."
I couldn't move.
"I wanted to tell you everything myself."
She looked away.
"I wanted to come back."
A tear rolled down her face.
"But I couldn't."
My breathing became heavier.
"Your father will tell you I abandoned you."
She shook her head.
"I didn't."
The video flickered.
Then she whispered:
"Someone close to you helped him."
I looked at Claire.
She immediately shook her head.
"No."
The video continued.
"Daniel, you cannot trust..."
The screen glitched.
The audio cut.
Then returned.
My mother's voice became quieter.
"...the person who brought her into your life."
The video ended.
Nobody moved.
I slowly turned toward my father.
Because there was only one person who had introduced Claire to me.
My father.
But then Claire spoke.
"Daniel."
I looked at her.
Her face was pale.
"There is something you need to know."
"What?"
She reached into her bag.
She pulled out a small envelope.
"I was going to give this to you after the wedding."
I stared.
"Why didn't you?"
She looked at my father.
"Because he threatened me."
My father immediately stood.
"Claire."
But she continued.
"He told me if I ever told you the truth, you would lose the only family you had left."
My heart sank.
She handed me the envelope.
Inside was a document.
A birth record.
I read the name.
Then stopped.
Because the information on that paper changed everything.
Claire wasn't just someone my father introduced to me.
She was connected to my family long before our wedding.
I looked at her.
"Why does this say your mother was..."
Before I could finish, the lights suddenly went out.
Everyone froze.
A sound came from downstairs.
The front door opening.
Slowly.
Someone had entered the house.
My father whispered:
"No..."
I looked at him.
"Who is it?"
He didn't answer.
Then a woman's voice came from the hallway.
A voice I hadn't heard in six years.
A voice I knew better than my own.
"Daniel..."
May you like
I couldn't breathe.
Because my mother was standing outside the office door.
