Chapter 9: My Father’s Last Warning
When we returned to the mansion, everything felt different.
It was still my home.
But it no longer felt safe.
Every hallway.
Every door.
Every memory.
Everything had a secret attached.
Emily was sitting in the living room with Lily.
The second she saw me, she stood.
“Michael.””
I walked straight to her.
She hugged me.
Not carefully.
Not cautiously.
Like she was afraid she would lose me too.
“I knew they would try to blame you.””
I held her tighter.
“How?””
She looked at Lily.
“Because they did the same thing to me.””
The detective interrupted.
“We need to inspect the hidden area again.””
Emily nodded.
“I’ll show you.””
Vanessa remained in the corner.
Silent.
Broken.
Richard was gone.
That immediately worried me.
“Where is Richard?””
Nobody answered.
Detective Harris looked around.
“He left before we arrived.””
I felt anger rise.
Of course he did.
The man who controlled everything disappeared when the truth started coming out.
We returned to the hidden room.
The officers searched carefully.
Then one of them called out.
“Detective.””
Everyone turned.
He was holding a small metal box.
Hidden beneath the floor.
My hands went cold.
Another secret.
Another message.
Detective Harris opened it.
Inside was a letter.
The handwriting was familiar.
My father’s.
He read the first line silently.
Then looked at me.
“Mr. Carter…”
I stepped closer.
“What?””
He handed me the letter.
The words blurred at first.
Then I read them.
Michael,
If you are reading this, then the people I feared have finally moved against our family.
I stopped.
My father knew.
The letter continued.
Do not trust anyone who claims they are protecting you.
They are protecting themselves.
I looked at Vanessa.
She lowered her eyes.
The next line made my blood freeze.
Daniel was never alone.
I looked at Emily.
She already knew something was wrong.
The letter continued.
There is another person inside this family who has been helping him.
Someone you would never suspect.
Someone who has been waiting for the right moment.
I lowered the paper.
“Who?””
Nobody answered.
Then Lily suddenly spoke.
“Daddy.””
I looked at her.
She was staring at the hallway.
A small frightened expression appeared on her face.
“What is it?””
She pointed.
“Someone was there.””
The detective turned.
The hallway was empty.
“Who did you see?””
Lily hugged Emily.
“I don’t know.””
She looked at me.
“But Mommy told me never to talk to him.””
My heart stopped.
“Who?””
Lily whispered:
“The man who visited when Mommy was behind the wall.””
Emily’s face went pale.
“I never told her that.””
The room became silent.
I looked at my daughter.
“Lily…”
She pointed toward the hallway again.
“He was here today.””
Everyone froze.
Detective Harris immediately moved toward the entrance.
But before he reached it, a sound came from outside.
A car engine.
Leaving.
The officers rushed outside.
I followed.
On the driveway was a single object.
A black envelope.
My name was written on it.
Inside was one sentence.
A sentence that made Emily grab my hand.
May you like
Because we both understood what it meant.
*“You found Emily. Now find the child you never knew existed.””*
