Chapter 9: The Ghost Of My Father
I couldn’t move.
The world around me felt unreal.
The old house.
The hidden files.
The secrets.
Everything disappeared when I heard that voice.
“Adrian.””
Again.
My father’s voice.
Older.
Weaker.
But unmistakable.
I slowly turned around.
A man stood in the doorway.
Gray hair.
A tired face.
Eyes I had spent my entire childhood trying to impress.
My father.
Charles Cole.
Alive.
Richard looked just as shocked as I was.
“No…”
The word escaped his mouth.
My father looked at him.
“Richard.””
Richard took a step backward.
“You’re dead.””
My father gave a sad smile.
“Everyone believed that.””
My hands curled into fists.
“You’re alive?””
He looked at me.
There was pain in his eyes.
“Yes.””
I wanted to scream.
I wanted answers.
I wanted to understand how the man I buried could be standing in front of me.
Instead, I asked the only question that mattered.
“Did you know about my daughters?””
His expression changed.
The silence was enough.
“You knew.””
He looked down.
“Yes.””
The anger I felt was different from before.
Victoria lied because she wanted something.
Ethan lied because he was afraid.
But my father?
He was supposed to love me.
“You let me believe Elena abandoned me.””
“I thought it was safer.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Safer?””
He stepped closer.
“Adrian, you don’t understand what was happening.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“You don’t understand what happened to me.””
The room went quiet.
For the first time in my life, my father looked ashamed.
“I made a terrible mistake.””
“You made thousands of them.””
He looked at the floor.
“I was trying to protect you from people who wanted to destroy everything.””
“By destroying my family?””
He closed his eyes.
“I didn’t know Victoria would go that far.””
I remembered the photograph.
The threats.
The years Elena spent raising my children alone.
“You knew she was pregnant.””
“Yes.””
“And you still did nothing.””
His silence hurt.
More than any confession.
Richard looked between us.
“Charles, you need to tell him everything.””
My father nodded slowly.
“I know.””
He walked toward the desk.
“The night Elena disappeared wasn’t random.””
I stared at him.
“What happened?””
“She found evidence.””
“About the company?””
He nodded.
“But not only that.””
He opened a hidden drawer.
Inside was another folder.
My heart sank.
“What else?””
My father looked directly at me.
“She discovered someone inside Cole International was stealing money.””
I frowned.
“Who?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation terrified me.
“Someone you trust.””
My mind immediately went to Ethan.
Then I hated myself for thinking it.
My father continued.
“Someone close enough to access every account.””
Richard spoke quietly.
“Someone who helped erase records.””
My father placed the folder on the desk.
“There are names.””
I opened it.
The first page contained transaction records.
The second contained signatures.
Then I saw it.
A name.
A signature.
A person I never expected.
My hands started shaking.
Because the person responsible wasn’t Victoria.
Wasn’t Ethan.
Wasn’t even Richard.
It was someone who had been standing beside me during my wedding.
Someone who watched Lily walk down that aisle.
Someone who knew exactly who she was.
I looked at my father.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
He looked toward the window.
“Of the same person you should be afraid of.””
A phone rang.
My father looked at the screen.
His face lost all color.
“What?””
A pause.
Then he handed the phone to me.
I answered.
A familiar voice whispered through the speaker.
“Adrian…”
My heart stopped.
It was Elena.
But she wasn’t crying.
She sounded terrified.
“They found Lily.””
The world went silent.
I gripped the phone.
“What do you mean they found Lily?””
Elena’s voice trembled.
“She was taken from the hospital.””
My blood turned cold.
“Who took her?””
There was a pause.
Then she whispered the name.
May you like
The name that changed everything.
“The person who has been pretending to help you from the beginning.””
