Chapter 3 - The Room Where The Truth Was Hidden
The hospital room door opened slowly.
Isabella whispered my name from the video: "Daniel... if you are watching this, they already found me."
I dropped the phone.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
Because the voice in that recording wasn't the voice of someone who was confused.
It was the voice of someone who knew she was in danger.
I looked at my father.
He was staring at the phone.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Terrified.
And that was when I understood something.
He already knew.
"Where is she?"
My father's eyes moved toward me.
"Daniel..."
"Where is my wife?"
He didn't answer.
I grabbed his arm.
For the first time in my life, I didn't care that he was my father.
"I asked where my wife is."
The woman standing behind me stepped closer.
"Your father knows."
My father looked at her.
"Don't."
She didn't stop.
"He has always known."
I looked between them.
"What does that mean?"
Nobody spoke.
The silence was unbearable.
Then my phone vibrated again.
Another message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
A location appeared.
Not the hospital.
Not our house.
A private clinic outside the city.
Underneath the address were five words.
"She was taken there willingly."
I stared at the message.
Taken?
Willingly?
That didn't make sense.
Isabella would never leave without telling me.
Unless...
Unless she was trying to protect me.
I turned toward my father.
"You knew she was going there."
He looked away.
That was his answer.
My anger grew.
"You knew."
He finally spoke.
"Daniel, you need to understand that Isabella was looking for answers."
"And?"
"And sometimes answers destroy people."
I stepped closer.
"No."
My voice became quiet.
"Secrets destroy people."
My father looked at me.
And for a second, I saw regret.
Real regret.
But it disappeared quickly.
"You don't know what you're dealing with."
I laughed.
"You keep saying that."
I held up the photograph.
"You told me my mother died."
I pointed at the woman beside me.
"She didn't."
"You told me our family had no secrets."
I held up my phone.
"My pregnant wife disappeared because she found one."
My father closed his eyes.
"I was trying to protect you."
"From what?"
He didn't answer.
So I walked away.
I didn't need his permission anymore.
I needed the truth.
The private clinic was almost empty when I arrived.
Too empty.
That was the first thing I noticed.
A place where a pregnant woman had been brought in the middle of the night should have had people everywhere.
Doctors.
Nurses.
Security.
Instead...
Nothing.
I walked through the entrance.
The receptionist looked nervous when she saw me.
"Can I help you?"
I showed her Isabella's picture.
"My wife was brought here."
The woman immediately looked away.
"I don't know."
"You know."
Her hands started shaking.
I placed the photograph on the counter.
"Where is she?"
Before she could answer, someone behind me spoke.
"Daniel."
I turned around.
My father's assistant.
Marcus.
The man who had worked for my family since I was a child.
He stood there holding a folder.
I stared at him.
"You."
He looked uncomfortable.
"I need you to listen."
"No."
I walked toward him.
"I need you to talk."
Marcus looked around.
Then lowered his voice.
"Isabella found the original documents."
"What documents?"
"The ones your father destroyed."
My eyes narrowed.
"About my mother?"
He nodded.
"And about you."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What about me?"
Marcus opened the folder.
Inside were old medical records.
Birth records.
Legal documents.
And one envelope.
My name was written on it.
Daniel.
My hands became cold.
"Where did you get this?"
Marcus looked at the ground.
"Your mother gave it to me."
I froze.
"My mother?"
He nodded.
"Before she disappeared."
The words hit harder than I expected.
"She knew you would need it someday."
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting was unfamiliar.
But the first sentence made my heart stop.
Daniel,
If you are reading this, your father failed to keep the truth buried.
I stopped reading.
I couldn't.
Not yet.
Because part of me was afraid.
Afraid that once I knew everything...
There would be no way to return to the life I had before.
Marcus looked at me.
"Your mother wanted you to know something."
"What?"
He swallowed.
"Your father didn't choose you."
I looked up.
"What?"
"He didn't adopt you because he wanted a son."
The room felt silent.
"He adopted you because of who your real parents were."
I stared at him.
"Who are my real parents?"
Marcus looked toward the hallway.
Then whispered:
"The people your father spent years trying to erase."
A noise came from upstairs.
A door closing.
We both looked up.
Marcus's expression changed.
"Someone is here."
I grabbed the folder.
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked terrified.
"Daniel, you need to leave."
"No."
I started walking toward the stairs.
"Not anymore."
The second floor was darker.
The lights flickered.
Every step felt heavier.
I followed the sound.
A room at the end of the hallway.
The door was slightly open.
Inside, I saw medical equipment.
A chair.
A table.
And Isabella's bag.
My heart raced.
I ran inside.
"Isabella?"
No answer.
The room was empty.
But her bag was there.
I opened it.
Inside was her wallet.
Her phone.
And another envelope.
This one wasn't addressed to me.
It was addressed to my father.
I opened it.
Only one sentence was written.
"You promised you would never tell him."
I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned around.
A woman stood in the doorway.
Not my mother.
Not someone I knew.
A stranger.
But she was holding something familiar.
A necklace.
The same necklace Isabella always wore.
I looked at it.
Then at her.
"Where did you get that?"
The woman smiled sadly.
"Your wife gave it to me."
My heart stopped.
"Where is Isabella?"
The woman didn't answer.
Instead, she looked at the folder in my hand.
"You finally found it."
"Found what?"
"The reason your father was willing to destroy everyone around him."
I stepped forward.
"Tell me where my wife is."
The woman looked at me.
"Before I tell you that..."
She reached into her coat.
And pulled out an old photograph.
She placed it on the table.
I looked down.
It was a picture of my mother.
Holding a baby.
Me.
But someone had written something on the back.
Three words.
"Not your son."
I looked up.
The woman was gone.
I ran after her.
The hallway was empty.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered immediately.
A woman's voice whispered:
"Daniel, don't trust the person who gave you that photo."
I froze.
"Who is this?"
A pause.
Then she said:
"Your wife."
My blood went cold.
"Isabella?"
The voice continued.
"He's coming for you."
"Who?"
Silence.
Then I heard a door opening on the other end.
May you like
And Isabella whispered:
"Daniel... he's already inside your house."
