Chapter 6: The Secret My Father Left Behind
I stared at Ryan.
“What did you say?””
His face was pale.
“That picture…”
He pointed at the phone.
“It was taken after your father supposedly died.””
The room went completely silent.
I looked back at the image.
The person standing inside my father’s office.
The person wearing my father’s jacket.
The person who looked exactly like him from behind.
My mind refused to accept it.
“That’s impossible.””
Ryan nodded.
“I know.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Emily, there’s something you need to understand.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
“Your father wasn’t just investigating stolen money.””
She took a breath.
“He was investigating someone pretending to be him.””
I frowned.
“What does that even mean?””
Ryan walked toward the bed and picked up the flash drive.
“Your father discovered someone had access to his accounts, his signatures, even his personal information.””
My heart raced.
“Identity theft?””
Ryan shook his head.
“Something worse.””
He plugged the flash drive into his laptop.
A single video file appeared.
Created six months before my father died.
I stared at the date.
“Why six months?””
Ryan looked at me.
“Because that’s when he realized he was in danger.””
The video opened.
My father appeared on the screen.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
I covered my mouth.
“Dad…”
His voice filled the room.
“Emily, if you are watching this, then I failed to protect you.””
Tears immediately filled my eyes.
I hadn’t heard his voice in years.
The video continued.
“There are people around you who will tell you they love you. Some of them do. Some of them only love what they can take from you.””
I looked at Ryan.
He looked away.
My father continued.
“Ryan is not the person you should fear.””
I froze.
Ryan looked up.
“What?””
The video continued.
“He made mistakes. He kept secrets. But he tried to keep his promise to me.””
My eyes moved between the screen and Ryan.
My father trusted him.
But why?
The video continued.
“The person who betrayed me is someone Emily has known her entire life.””
My heart sank.
Again.
A knock suddenly came from downstairs.
Everyone froze.
Ryan closed the laptop immediately.
“Did you tell anyone we were here?””
“No.””
Vanessa looked toward the door.
“Then someone followed us.””
The knock came again.
Harder.
I grabbed the box.
Ryan moved in front of me.
“Stay behind me.””
I almost laughed.
“You expect me to trust you?””
He looked hurt.
But before he could answer, a voice came from downstairs.
A voice I knew.
A voice that belonged to someone who had held me as a child.
Someone who attended every family holiday.
Someone my father trusted.
“Emily?””
My blood turned cold.
Because I recognized the voice instantly.
My uncle Michael.
“Open the door.””
Ryan whispered:
“Don’t.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
His eyes locked onto mine.
“Because he knows you found the box.””
The doorknob slowly began to turn.
And then Michael’s voice came again.
This time softer.
More threatening.
“Emily, sweetheart…”
A pause.
“I know you’re upstairs.””
The door opened.
And I realized the worst part.
May you like
He wasn’t guessing.
He had been inside my house before.
