Chapter 8: The Truth About Dad
I didn’t know who to believe.
That was the worst part.
Adults were supposed to have answers.
They were supposed to make the world feel safe.
But standing there between Amanda and Mark, I realized something.
Adults could lie too.
“Tell me the truth,” I said.
My voice sounded smaller than I wanted.
Mark looked at me.
“I will.””
Amanda shook her head.
“No, you won’t.””
Mark ignored her.
“Your father owned a company. A successful one.””
I nodded.
I knew Dad worked a lot.
“He trusted Amanda to help with some things.””
Amanda crossed her arms.
“Stop.””
Mark continued.
“She started moving money without telling him.””
Lily looked at her mother.
“Mom?””
Amanda looked uncomfortable.
“That’s not true.””
Mark pulled out another paper.
“She transferred money into another account.””
Amanda’s expression changed.
“You went through my things?””
“No. Your husband did.””
I stared at the paper.
I couldn’t understand all the words.
Numbers.
Dates.
Signatures.
It looked like adult stuff.
But I understood one thing.
Dad had been worried.
“Why didn’t he tell me?””
Mark’s face softened.
“Because you were seven.””
That answer hurt.
Because it was true.
Dad had always protected me from grown-up problems.
Mark looked at the device.
“He made that recording because he knew he might not be able to explain everything himself.””
My throat tightened.
“What happened to him?””
Nobody answered.
Again.
I hated that silence.
Amanda walked toward me.
“Ethan, listen to me.””
I stepped back.
For the first time, I wasn’t scared of making her angry.
“What happened to my dad?””
Her lips parted.
But no words came out.
Then Mark said quietly:
“Your father disappeared.””
The room spun.
“No.””
Lily started crying.
“But he said he was coming home.””
Mark looked down.
“I know.””
Amanda wiped her eyes.
It was the first time I saw her look sad.
But I didn’t know if it was real.
“I didn’t know what happened,” she said.
Mark looked at her.
“You knew enough.””
Amanda turned toward him.
“Don’t pretend you’re innocent.””
That stopped him.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Mark quietly said:
“You’re right.””
I looked between them.
“What does that mean?””
Mark looked at me.
“It means your father wasn’t only investigating Amanda.””
Amanda stared at him.
“Don’t.””
“He was investigating me too.””
My eyes widened.
“You?””
Mark nodded.
“Your father discovered someone close to him was hiding things.””
Lily whispered:
“Who?””
Mark didn’t answer.
He looked at Amanda.
That was enough.
My stomach dropped.
But then Amanda suddenly moved.
Fast.
She grabbed the device from the table and threw it against the wall.
The sound made everyone jump.
The black device fell to the floor.
Broken.
Lily screamed.
“Mom!””
Amanda stood there breathing heavily.
For the first time, I saw who she really was.
Not the woman who smiled at neighbors.
Not the woman who cooked pancakes.
Someone desperate.
“You don’t understand,” Amanda said.
Her voice cracked.
“I was trying to protect myself.””
Mark looked at her.
“No.””
Amanda looked at me.
“I was trying to protect all of us.””
I stared at the broken device.
Dad’s voice was gone.
The recordings were gone.
The only proof we had was destroyed.
Then Lily suddenly pointed at the floor.
“Wait.””
Everyone looked down.
A tiny piece of the device had fallen open.
Inside was something hidden.
A small silver memory chip.
Amanda saw it.
And her face changed.
“No.””
Mark whispered:
“Ethan…”
I picked it up.
“What is it?””
Mark looked terrified.
“That’s the backup.””
May you like
Amanda took a step toward me.
“Give me that.””
