Chapter 6: The Hidden Enemy
Dad ended the call five minutes later.
He didn’t say anything.
He just stood there.
Holding the phone.
Staring at the floor.
I had never seen him look afraid before.
Not when Mom was sick.
Not when the doctors gave us bad news.
Not even when he lost his first company.
But now?
Now he looked terrified.
“Dad.””
He looked up.
“What did Grandma say?””
He took a slow breath.
“Your grandmother wants us to meet tomorrow.””
“That’s it?””
“No.””
He hesitated.
“She said we need to talk before someone else gets hurt.””
My stomach tightened.
“Someone else?””
Dad walked to the window.
For a while, he said nothing.
Finally, he spoke.
“Your mother knew there were people who wanted control of the trust.””
I frowned.
“People?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
He turned around.
“I don’t know.””
That answer made no sense.
“You don’t know?””
“No.””
“You knew there was danger and you didn’t tell me?””
His face fell.
“I thought I had handled it.””
“But you didn’t.””
The words came out sharper than I intended.
Dad accepted them.
“I know.””
I looked away.
For years, I had blamed Vanessa for making me feel invisible.
But maybe Dad had been doing it too.
Not intentionally.
But silence could hurt just as much as cruelty.
A knock came at the door.
Dad immediately looked toward it.
We both froze.
Because nobody was supposed to come over.
Not after everything.
Dad walked slowly toward the entrance.
“Maya, stay behind me.””
I hated that sentence.
Because it meant he was scared.
He opened the door.
Nobody was there.
Only an envelope.
Sitting on the welcome mat.
Dad picked it up carefully.
No name.
No address.
Just one sentence written across the front.
*YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE PAST BURIED.*
My skin went cold.
Dad opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
He looked at it.
Then immediately hid it from me.
“Dad?””
“It’s nothing.””
I stared at him.
“You’re lying.””
He closed his eyes.
After a moment, he handed it over.
The picture was old.
Very old.
It showed my mother.
Standing beside Vanessa.
My heart stopped.
Because I had never seen them together before.
They weren’t just in the same picture.
They were smiling.
Like they knew each other.
I looked at Dad.
“What is this?””
He didn’t answer.
“Maya…”
“No.””
I held up the picture.
“Vanessa knew Mom?””
Dad sat down.
“Yes.””
“How?””
He looked away.
“Before she married me, Vanessa worked for your mother’s family.””
The room spun.
“What?””
“She wasn’t a stranger.””
“Then why did she act like she hated me?””
Dad didn’t answer.
Because he knew the truth.
Vanessa hadn’t entered our family by accident.
She had a history.
A reason.
A plan.
I looked back at the photograph.
My mother’s smile bothered me.
Because she looked happy.
She looked like she trusted Vanessa.
“How long did you know?””
Dad’s silence answered before his words did.
“Since before your mother died.””
I felt something break inside me.
“You knew?””
“I didn’t know what Vanessa was planning.””
“But you knew she was connected to Mom.””
“Yes.””
“And you still married her?””
Dad looked down.
“I thought I was saving our family.””
I laughed quietly.
It wasn’t because anything was funny.
“You keep saying that.””
“Maya—”
“No.””
I held the picture tighter.
“You keep saying you protected me.””
My voice shook.
“But I was living with someone who was trying to take everything from me.””
Dad looked like he wanted to argue.
But he couldn’t.
Because he knew I was right.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message.
He read it.
And his face went pale.
“What?””
He didn’t answer.
“Dad.””
Slowly, he turned the phone toward me.
It was a text from an unknown number.
One sentence.
*ASK YOUR FATHER WHY YOUR MOTHER NEVER TRUSTED HIM WITH THE TRUTH.*
I looked at Dad.
“What truth?””
He didn’t speak.
Because this time…
May you like
He wasn’t hiding a secret from Vanessa.
He was hiding one from me.
