Chapter 5: My Father Finally Looked
My father did not sleep that night.
I knew because I woke up around midnight and saw him sitting at the kitchen table.
The house was dark.
Only one lamp was on.
He was holding something in his hands.
A photograph.
My mother.
I stood in the doorway.
“Dad?””
He quickly wiped his face.
“Hey, buddy.””
I walked closer.
“What are you doing?””
He looked at the picture.
“Trying to remember.””
I sat beside him.
“You remember Mom.””
He smiled sadly.
“I remember everything.””
He tapped the photo.
“Your mom trusted people too easily.””
I looked at him.
“Like Karen?””
He didn’t answer.
That was an answer.
The next morning, Dad went back to our old house.
Not to stay.
To search.
Grandma came with him.
I wanted to go.
But she told me it was better if I stayed.
A few hours later, my father returned carrying a small box.
His face looked serious.
“What is it?”” Grandma asked.
He placed it on the table.
“Things Karen didn’t want me to find.””
Inside were papers.
Old receipts.
Bank statements.
And a small envelope.
My father opened it.
Then stopped.
“What?””
Grandma asked.
He handed her the paper.
Her face changed.
“What is this?””
“I don’t know.””
My father sat down.
“It was hidden behind the drawer in my office.””
I looked at the paper.
I didn’t understand the words.
But I understood my father’s reaction.
Something was wrong.
Grandma read carefully.
Then she looked up.
“Daniel.””
“What?””
“Did Emily ever tell you she was worried before she died?””
My father went quiet.
“No.””
Grandma folded the paper.
“She wrote this.””
My father took it.
His hands shook.
“What does it say?””
Grandma looked at me.
Then back at him.
“It says she was afraid someone close to her was lying.””
The room became silent.
My father stared at the page.
“Why didn’t I know about this?””
“Because maybe someone hid it.””
He stood suddenly.
“I need to go back.””
Grandma grabbed his arm.
“Daniel, think.””
But he was already moving.
That afternoon, the police came again.
They had discovered more information.
Rachel sat across from my father.
“Mr. Carter, we need to discuss Karen’s background.””
My father looked confused.
“What about it?””
“She wasn’t completely honest about her past.””
My father frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Rachel opened a folder.
“She told you she had never been married before.””
My father’s face changed.
“She said that.””
“She was married once.””
Grandma leaned forward.
“To who?””
Rachel looked down.
“A man named Michael Harris.””
Dad waited.
“What happened?””
Rachel hesitated.
“He disappeared.””
The room went silent.
My father looked at me.
Then back at Rachel.
“Disappeared?””
“Yes.””
“Was he reported missing?””
Rachel nodded.
“But the case was never solved.””
I felt a chill.
Not from the cold.
From the way everyone looked at each other.
Dad slowly whispered.
“Why would she hide that?””
Rachel closed the folder.
“That is what we are trying to understand.””
That evening, Dad received a message.
He stared at his phone.
His face went pale.
“What happened?”” Grandma asked.
He turned the screen toward her.
It was from Karen.
Only three words.
You found it.
My father looked confused.
Then another message appeared.
This time with a photo.
A photo of my mother’s necklace.
May you like
And underneath it, Karen had written:
You should have left the past buried.
