Chapter 7: The Father I Thought I Lost
My father’s name hadn’t been spoken inside that house for years.
Not by me.
Not by Ethan.
Not by anyone.
The moment Daniel said it, the entire room changed.
It wasn’t just shock.
It was something deeper.
Something old.
Something I had buried because I thought it was already gone.
“My father?”” I whispered.
Daniel nodded.
“The messages came from a number registered under his name.””
I stared at him.
“That’s impossible.””
Nobody answered.
Because everyone in the room knew the same thing.
My father had been gone for eight years.
Not dead.
Just gone.
After my mother passed away, he disappeared from my life. No calls. No birthday messages. No explanation.
One day, I woke up and realized I had become an only child without a goodbye.
I spent years trying to understand why.
And eventually, I stopped trying.
Ethan knew how much that hurt me.
He knew because he was the person who held me when I cried about it.
Or at least, I thought he did.
Patricia slowly looked at Ethan.
“You knew about this?””
His eyes moved away.
That was enough.
I felt my stomach twist.
“You knew?””
Ethan didn’t answer.
“Ethan.””
He swallowed.
“Yes.””
The word was barely audible.
I stepped back.
“How long?””
“Sarah…”
“How long did you know my father was involved?””
He looked exhausted.
“I didn’t know everything.””
I laughed.
A painful, empty laugh.
“That’s your favorite sentence.””
He flinched.
“I’m serious.””
“No. You’re always serious when you’re caught.””
Daniel placed a hand on the folder.
“We need to separate facts from assumptions.””
I looked at him.
“Then tell me the facts.””
He nodded.
“Six months ago, Ethan received a series of messages from your father.””
“About what?””
Daniel glanced at Ethan.
“He demanded money.””
My heart sank.
“Why?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Ethan finally said:
“Because he knew about the house.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Ethan looked at the floor.
“He knew your grandmother left it to you.””
I felt confused.
“My father knew?””
“Yes.””
“Then why would he want money?””
Ethan didn’t answer.
Patricia did.
“He said he deserved part of it.””
My hands went cold.
“Why?””
Patricia looked uncomfortable.
“Because he believed your grandmother should have left something to him.””
I shook my head.
“That makes no sense.””
Daniel opened another file.
“This is where things become complicated.””
He handed me a document.
I read the first few lines.
Then stopped.
My name was there.
My grandmother’s name.
And my father’s.
It was an old legal document.
“What is this?””
Daniel answered quietly.
“Your grandmother created a trust before she passed away.””
I looked at him.
“And?””
“The house was only part of the inheritance.””
I turned the page.
My eyes widened.
There were assets.
Accounts.
Investments.
Things I never knew existed.
“Why didn’t I know about this?””
Daniel looked at Ethan.
My heart dropped.
Because I already knew the answer.
Ethan knew.
He had known all along.
“You found this when we moved in.””
It wasn’t a question.
Ethan closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
The room became silent.
I felt something break inside me.
Not because of the money.
I didn’t care about the money.
I cared that the person I trusted most had looked at my family’s secrets and decided to hide them from me.
“Why?””
My voice cracked.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Ethan looked at me.
“I was going to.””
“When?””
He had no answer.
“When you needed something?””
His silence was the answer.
Daniel continued.
“According to the documents, the trust could not be accessed without Sarah’s approval.””
“So Ethan couldn’t get the money.””
“Correct.””
I looked at him.
“And that’s why he forged my signature.””
Ethan looked away.
Then something unexpected happened.
Patricia stood.
“I didn’t know about the trust.””
Everyone looked at her.
She looked directly at Ethan.
“You told me there was nothing left.””
Ethan’s expression changed.
“Mom.””
“No.””
Her voice shook.
“You lied to me too.””
For the first time, Patricia and I were standing on the same side.
Not because we liked each other.
Because we had both finally seen the same person.
Ethan.
A man who always found someone else to blame.
Daniel’s phone buzzed again.
He checked it.
Then his face changed.
“What?””
I looked at him.
“What is it?””
He hesitated.
“It’s another message.””
“From my father?””
He nodded.
My chest tightened.
“What does it say?””
Daniel looked at the screen.
Then slowly read the words aloud.
“He knows you found out.””
A chill went through me.
“And?””
Daniel looked at Ethan.
“He says Ethan was never supposed to tell you.””
I turned toward my husband.
“Tell me what?””
Ethan’s face went pale.
May you like
Because whatever answer came next…
It was something he had been trying to hide from everyone.
