Chapter 13: The Truth About My Father
The letter felt like it was burning my hands.
I read the final sentence again.
If anything happens to me, Nora must know the truth about her father.
Not Lila.
Not my mother.
My father.
For ten years, I had searched for answers about the fire.
I thought the worst truth would be discovering my sister’s mistake.
I was wrong.
The worst truth was realizing the person I trusted most had been standing beside the lie the entire time.
I looked at Richard.
“Tell me.””
He said nothing.
“Tell me what she meant.””
His face tightened.
“Nora, your grandmother was old. She became suspicious of everyone.””
I stared at him.
“You’re still doing it.””
“Doing what?””
“Making me question the truth.””
He looked away.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Richard, the evidence is no longer something you can dismiss.””
My father’s jaw clenched.
“You don’t know what happened.””
“Then explain.””
The room waited.
For once, nobody rescued him.
Nobody changed the subject.
Nobody told me to calm down.
Finally, my father sat down.
And the man who had controlled every room he entered suddenly looked small.
“When I started the company with your grandfather, things were different.””
I crossed my arms.
“Different how?””
“We were partners.””
He looked at the floor.
“But your grandfather always trusted him more.””
“Him?””
“Victor.””
The name hung in the air.
My father continued.
“Victor was brilliant. Charming. Everyone loved him.””
“And you hated that.””
He looked at me.
“I was tired of being second.””
There it was.
The first honest thing he had said all night.
“I spent my entire life building that company,” he said.
“But your grandfather still treated Victor like family.””
I looked at the trust papers.
“So you wanted more.””
“I wanted what I deserved.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“You wanted what someone else had.””
He didn’t argue.
That silence told me enough.
Daniel opened another file.
“Your grandmother discovered Richard had been moving company assets into private accounts.””
My mother closed her eyes.
“I knew about the money problems.””
I looked at her.
“You knew?””
She nodded weakly.
“I thought I could fix it.””
My heart sank.
“You always knew.””
She cried.
“I didn’t know about the fire.””
I believed her.
But believing someone didn’t erase what they had done.
“You protected him.””
“Yes.””
Her voice broke.
“I was afraid.””
I looked around the room.
Everyone was always afraid.
My sister was afraid.
My mother was afraid.
My father was afraid.
And somehow, I was the one who paid the price.
Daniel placed another document on the table.
“This is the original contract between Richard and Victor.””
I picked it up.
A clause stood out.
If either partner committed fraud, control of the company would transfer.
My eyes widened.
“Grandfather included this?””
Daniel nodded.
“He knew them both.””
My father stood.
“That contract was supposed to be destroyed.””
The room froze.
I slowly looked up.
“Destroyed?””
He realized what he said.
Too late.
Daniel’s expression changed.
“You tried to destroy the contract?””
My father stepped back.
“No.””
But nobody believed him.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Again.
Everyone looked at me.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice came through.
“You finally know.””
My blood went cold.
“Who is this?””
“You should ask your father.””
I looked at Richard.
He looked terrified.
The voice continued.
“Your grandmother found the truth. Victor found the truth. Now you found the truth.””
A pause.
“But you still don’t know the biggest secret.””
“What secret?””
The man laughed quietly.
“The fire wasn’t meant to hurt you, Nora.””
My breath stopped.
“What?””
“It was meant to erase evidence.””
The call ended.
I lowered the phone.
Daniel immediately asked:
“What did he say?””
I looked at my father.
“He said the fire wasn’t about me.””
Nobody moved.
Then Lila whispered:
“Then what was it about?””
I looked at the documents.
The company.
The contract.
The hidden money.
And suddenly I understood.
The fire wasn’t an accident.
It was a cover-up.
May you like
But someone had wanted one specific thing destroyed.
And I knew exactly what that thing was.
