Chapter 6: The Enemy Inside My Family
The photograph sat between us.
Nobody touched it.
Nobody needed to.
The image was clear.
Too clear.
A woman standing beside me outside a government building.
Someone I trusted.
Someone who had helped me rebuild my life after everything fell apart.
Someone my family had never met.
My father stared at the photograph.
“Who is she?””
I looked at him.
“You tell me.””
His expression changed.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
And that was worse.
The general noticed immediately.
“You know her.””
My father looked away.
“No.””
A lie.
A terrible one.
Reeves leaned against the table.
“Richard, after all these years, you’re still doing this?””
My father glared at him.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.””
Reeves laughed quietly.
“I spent twelve years watching from a distance while Samantha carried the blame for your choices.””
My father’s face hardened.
“You think you understand family?””
“No.””
Reeves looked at me.
“I understand loyalty.””
The words stayed in the room.
Because everyone knew who had failed at that.
My mother sat down slowly.
“I need someone to explain.””
Nobody answered.
So I did.
“Twelve years ago, I was sent on a mission.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Not training.””
Not failure.
A mission.
“We were tracking a group that had stolen intelligence from military networks. Captain Reeves was leading the operation.””
Reeves nodded.
“Someone leaked our location.””
My mother covered her mouth.
“You were attacked?””
“Yes.””
I remembered the night.
The explosion.
The screams.
The moment the world went silent.
“We were supposed to extract after forty-eight hours. Instead, we were trapped.””
My father looked at me.
“And you survived.””
I stared at him.
“Yes.””
His voice lowered.
“Why didn’t you tell us?””
I almost couldn't believe the question.
“Because I tried.””
The room went quiet.
“I called.””
My mother looked down.
“I know.””
I froze.
“You know?””
She nodded slowly.
“Your father stopped the calls.””
My father immediately stood.
“That’s not true.””
But nobody believed him.
Not anymore.
My mother wiped her eyes.
“He said you were unstable. He said the military had changed you.””
My chest tightened.
“I was fighting to come home.””
The silence afterward was unbearable.
The general finally spoke.
“Richard Hayes, you have one chance to explain.””
My father looked around.
At the general.
At Reeves.
At my family.
Then at me.
And something inside him broke.
“I was scared.””
Nobody expected that.
Not even me.
He continued.
“You were always different.””
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“Different?””
“You were willing to sacrifice everything.””
“And you weren’t?””
He looked down.
“I had Daniel.””
There it was.
The truth.
The one he never wanted to say.
My father chose the child who made him proud.
Not the child who needed him.
Daniel looked sick.
“Dad…”
My father closed his eyes.
“I thought if Samantha disappeared, everything would become simpler.””
The room froze.
Even he seemed shocked that he admitted it.
I whispered:
“You wanted me gone.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
My voice became stronger.
“You didn’t want me dead. You wanted me erased.””
Nobody spoke.
The general picked up the photograph.
“Who is the woman?””
Reeves answered.
“She is the final piece.””
He looked at me.
“She was the intelligence officer assigned to investigate the leak.””
I frowned.
“Then why is she standing beside me?””
Reeves hesitated.
“Because she found the truth.””
“What truth?””
He looked at my father.
“The person who betrayed Samantha wasn’t Richard.””
Everyone turned.
My heart stopped.
Reeves continued:
“Richard helped cover it up.””
My father looked horrified.
“But the original betrayal came from someone else.””
The general stepped forward.
“Who?””
Reeves looked directly at me.
And whispered:
“The person who trained you.””
I felt the room disappear.
Because there was only one person left.
One person who knew every move I made.
Every weakness.
Every secret.
And that person was still alive.
Reeves placed another file on the table.
On the cover was a name.
May you like
A name that made my blood turn cold.
*COMMANDER ELIZABETH VALE.*
