Chapter 10: The Father I Never Knew
For several seconds, nobody in the room moved.
The agents.
Me.
Even the sound of the air conditioner seemed too loud.
I held the phone tighter.
“My father’s money?””
Thomas Blake’s voice remained quiet.
“Yes.””
“That’s impossible.””
“I know why you think that.””
“Because my father was a mechanic.””
The words came out automatically.
That was the story I had grown up with.
A small garage.
Old trucks.
Oil-stained hands.
A man who came home tired but always smiled.
A man who died before he got to see me graduate.
“He wanted you to believe that,” Thomas said.
I felt anger rising.
“Don’t talk about my father like you knew him.””
“I did know him.””
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“You don’t get to call a stranger my father and expect me to believe you.””
Thomas sighed.
“Sarah, your father was not poor.””
I looked at Rebecca.
The agent was listening carefully.
“What was he?””
“A financial partner.””
“With who?””
Another pause.
Then:
“Daniel’s father.””
The room went silent again.
Daniel.
Of course.
Everything always came back to him.
“How?””
Thomas continued.
“Before Daniel inherited Mercer Development, his father built the company with your father.””
I shook my head.
“No. Daniel told me his father started everything.””
“He told you many things.””
The truth hurt because it sounded familiar.
Daniel had built an entire world around me.
A fake marriage.
Fake security.
Fake love.
“What happened between them?””
Thomas answered slowly.
“Your father discovered money was being moved.””
“By Daniel’s father?””
“No.””
My stomach tightened.
“By Daniel.””
I closed my eyes.
“That’s impossible.””
“He was younger. Ambitious. Angry that he wasn’t in control yet.””
Rebecca stepped closer.
“When did this happen?””
Thomas answered:
“Years before Daniel married Sarah.””
I opened my eyes.
“Why did Daniel marry me?””
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Thomas said:
“Because of what your father left behind.””
My hands went cold.
“What did he leave?””
“A trust.””
I stared at the phone.
“A trust?””
“Yes.””
Rebecca suddenly spoke.
“Sarah, ask him about the trust.””
I looked at her.
“How do you know?””
“Because if it exists, it changes everything.””
I turned back to the phone.
“What trust?””
Thomas took a deep breath.
“Your father created it before he died.””
“How much?””
“Enough that Daniel needed access.””
The room felt like it was closing around me.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?””
“Because Daniel made sure you never found out.””
I remembered the wedding.
The promises.
The way Daniel held my hand.
The way he told me we were starting a new life.
Was that all a calculation?
“Where is the trust?””
“Hidden.””
“Where?””
“Your father left instructions.””
“What instructions?””
Thomas hesitated.
“Only his daughter could unlock it.””
A chill moved through me.
“Me?””
“Yes.””
I looked down at my hands.
Hands Daniel held.
Hands that signed documents.
Hands he used to build his lies.
“What does this have to do with the marriage certificate?””
Thomas went quiet.
Then:
“Everything.””
Rebecca stepped forward.
“Explain.””
Thomas continued.
“Daniel couldn’t access the trust unless he was legally connected to Sarah.””
I felt sick.
“He married me for money.””
“He married you for control.””
The distinction somehow felt worse.
Because money was simple.
Control was personal.
“He needed your signature.””
“But I signed things because I trusted him.””
“Yes.””
My eyes filled.
Not because I loved him anymore.
Because I hated that he knew exactly how much I trusted him.
“Where is Daniel now?””
Thomas didn’t answer.
“Thomas?””
“He’s coming for the trust.””
Rebecca looked toward the door.
“How do you know?””
“Because he knows I’m alive.””
The room froze.
“What?””
Thomas continued.
“Daniel spent years making people believe I was gone.””
“Why?””
“Because I knew where the original documents were.””
My heartbeat accelerated.
“What documents?””
“Your father’s final instructions.””
A notification appeared on my phone.
A new message.
From Daniel.
*You should have never called him.*
I stared at the screen.
He knew.
I looked up.
“How did he know?””
Nobody answered.
Then another message arrived.
*Come home. We need to talk. Alone.*
Rebecca immediately shook her head.
“Do not go.””
I looked at the message.
For the first time, I wasn’t scared of Daniel.
I was angry.
Because I finally understood.
The pool.
The affair.
The lies.
The fake marriage.
All of it was just one part of something bigger.
Daniel didn’t want to leave me.
He wanted something from me.
I looked at Rebecca.
“What happens if I refuse?””
She answered honestly.
“We don’t know what Daniel will do next.””
My phone buzzed again.
This time, a photo appeared.
A photo of my house.
Taken from outside.
My blood turned cold.
May you like
Beneath it was one sentence.
*I know you’re with the agents.*
