Chapter 4 - The Father Who Started Digging For Answers
The door opened.
But nobody walked in.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Not me.
Not Theodore.
Not Elise.
The apartment suddenly felt too quiet.
Then a man stepped inside.
Not Nathan.
Daniel.
He was older than I expected.
Mid-forties.
Dark hair beginning to turn gray at the sides.
A serious face.
The kind of face that looked like it had spent years carrying information nobody wanted to hear.
His eyes moved across the room.
First to me.
Then to Theodore.
Then to Elise.
Finally, to the flash drive sitting on the bed.
And that was when I knew.
He wasn’t surprised to see it.
He was afraid.
“Elise,” he said quietly.
She didn’t answer.
“You shouldn’t have kept that here.”
Her expression changed.
“You knew?”
Daniel closed the door behind him.
“I knew Nathan would come looking.”
Theodore stepped forward.
“You have five seconds to explain why you are standing in my son’s apartment.”
Daniel looked at him.
Then at me.
“Because your son destroyed more than this family.”
Theodore’s jaw tightened.
“You better choose your next words carefully.”
Daniel didn’t look away.
“I already did that nine months ago.”
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
“Nine months?”
He nodded.
“That’s when I found out what Nathan was really doing.”
I felt anger rise inside me.
“You were his friend.”
Daniel’s face changed slightly.
“I was.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us?”
His eyes lowered.
“Because I thought I had time.”
That answer frustrated me.
“Time?”
I stepped closer.
“My grandchildren spent months wondering where their father was.”
“I know.”
“My daughter-in-law was struggling alone.”
“I know.”
“And you knew?”
Daniel looked at Elise.
“I knew pieces.”
“Pieces?”
He nodded.
“Nathan was careful.”
Theodore crossed his arms.
“My son is not some criminal mastermind.”
Daniel looked at him.
“I wish that was true.”
Those words changed the room.
Because they weren’t angry.
They were tired.
Like Daniel had already spent months fighting a battle nobody else knew existed.
I looked at the flash drive.
“What is on this?”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me.
“Daniel.”
He finally spoke.
“Evidence.”
“Of what?”
He looked directly at me.
“Of Nathan planning his disappearance.”
The words felt impossible.
“You’re saying he planned to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel hesitated.
Then:
“Because he had another life prepared.”
Elise closed her eyes.
I watched her reaction.
She already knew there was a possibility.
But hearing it said out loud still hurt.
“What other life?”
Daniel looked at the photograph.
The one of Nathan with the unknown woman.
“That.”
I picked it up.
“Who is she?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Not immediately.
Instead, he reached into his coat pocket.
He pulled out another photograph.
He placed it beside mine.
Same woman.
Different day.
Different place.
Different time.
Nathan was there again.
Smiling.
Happy.
Like he wasn’t a man who had abandoned his family.
Like he wasn’t a father who stopped coming home.
“Her name is Vanessa Cole.”
Theodore looked confused.
“Who is she?”
Daniel took a breath.
“She worked with Nathan.”
“At the company?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Daniel looked at me.
“She was the reason he started changing.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Changing how?”
“Money.”
That word again.
Everything kept returning to money.
Daniel sat down.
“Nathan and I built that company from nothing.”
Theodore listened carefully.
“We started with a small office. Two employees. We worked eighteen-hour days.”
Daniel looked at the floor.
“I trusted him like a brother.”
“What happened?”
“He changed.”
“How?”
“He started making decisions without telling me.”
“About the company?”
“Yes.”
Daniel looked at the papers.
“He created accounts I didn’t know about.”
My heart sank.
“And the money?”
“Moved.”
“How much?”
Daniel was quiet.
Then he said:
“Enough to disappear.”
I looked at Theodore.
His expression had changed.
This wasn’t just a family problem anymore.
This was something bigger.
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
Daniel looked at Elise.
“Because Nathan made sure the evidence looked different.”
“What does that mean?”
“He made it look like Elise had access.”
My blood went cold.
“He was setting her up?”
Daniel nodded.
“He created documents with her name.”
Elise looked at him.
“You knew?”
Daniel looked guilty.
“I suspected.”
She stared at him.
“You let me stay here thinking everyone would believe I did something wrong?”
“I was trying to find proof.”
“You should have told me.”
“I was afraid.”
That answer shocked everyone.
Daniel wasn’t afraid of Nathan.
He was afraid of what Nathan had already done.
Theodore walked toward the table.
“What exactly did my son plan?”
Daniel looked at him.
“To leave with the money.”
“And the children?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
That silence was enough.
I felt sick.
Because there was something worse than a man leaving.
A man leaving without caring who he destroyed behind him.
I picked up the flash drive.
“Then we watch this.”
Daniel immediately stood.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Why not?”
“Because if Nathan knows you have it, he will come back.”
Theodore laughed bitterly.
“He already came back.”
Daniel looked toward the door.
“No.”
His voice dropped.
“That wasn’t him.”
My body went still.
“What?”
Daniel looked at Elise.
“He sent someone else.”
The room froze.
Elise whispered:
“Who?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Instead, he walked toward the window and looked outside.
Then his face changed.
“What?”
I asked.
He didn’t respond.
“Daniel?”
He turned around.
“We need to leave.”
Theodore frowned.
“Why?”
Daniel pointed toward the street.
“Because someone has been watching this apartment.”
I moved toward the window.
But before I reached it, Daniel stopped me.
“Don’t.”
The urgency in his voice made me freeze.
“Why?”
“Because if they see you looking…”
He didn’t finish.
Theodore moved beside him.
“Who is outside?”
Daniel stared at the window.
“Someone who works for Nathan.”
My heart started racing.
“How long?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Long enough.”
The children suddenly appeared in the hallway.
“Mom?”
Elise turned quickly.
“Go back.”
But it was too late.
Lily had already seen Daniel.
Her face changed.
She stepped backward.
“No.”
Elise looked at her.
“What?”
The little girl pointed at Daniel.
Her voice shook.
“He was there.”
Everyone froze.
Daniel looked confused.
“Where?”
Lily grabbed her mother’s hand.
“The night Daddy left.”
Elise’s face went pale.
“Lily…”
The child started crying.
“He was standing outside.”
Daniel slowly looked at her.
“Are you sure?”
Lily nodded.
“He told Daddy to hurry.”
The room became silent.
Because nobody understood.
Except Daniel.
His face changed.
Like he had just realized something terrible.
“What did he look like?”
Lily wiped her eyes.
“He had a scar.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
“What kind of scar?”
She touched the side of her own face.
“Here.”
Daniel stepped backward.
“No.”
Theodore looked at him.
“You know him.”
Daniel didn’t answer.
“Daniel.”
His voice came out barely audible.
“I thought he was gone.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked at me.
And whispered:
“The man who helped Nathan disappear.”
My phone buzzed.
Everyone looked at it.
A new message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
May you like
Only one sentence.
“Ask Daniel why he never told you Nathan was coming back tonight.”
