Chapter 12: My Father’s Final Warning
The words didn’t make sense.
Not at first.
I stared at Thomas.
“What?””
He didn’t look away.
“Your father knew something would happen when you came home.””
“That’s impossible.””
“He planned for it.””
My hands tightened.
“My father planned for me to find all this?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Thomas looked at the notebook.
“Because he knew nobody else would tell you.””
I grabbed it from the table.
“Give me that.””
Nobody stopped me.
I flipped through the pages.
Most of them were numbers.
Dates.
Names.
Notes about meetings.
But near the end, there were pages written differently.
Messier.
Like my father had been writing quickly.
Like he was afraid he wouldn’t have time.
I found one sentence.
*If Jessica returns, do not let her trust the first person who claims to protect her.*
My eyes moved upward.
There was another line.
*The person closest to her is the person who knows how to hurt her.*
I felt sick.
Because my father wasn’t warning me about a stranger.
He was warning me about someone close.
I looked at Ryan.
He looked hurt.
“You think it’s me.””
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know.
And that was the worst part.
Ryan had lied.
My mother had lied.
My uncle had lied.
Thomas had disappeared.
Everyone had betrayed me somehow.
Thomas stepped closer.
“Your father knew this day would come.””
“Stop saying that.””
“He knew you would find the documents.””
“Stop.””
“He knew Ryan would try to protect you.””
I looked at him.
“What does that mean?””
Thomas smiled slightly.
“It means Ryan wasn’t the person your father feared.””
Everyone turned.
Ryan looked confused.
“Then who?””
Thomas looked at my mother.
And my mother closed her eyes.
“No.””
The word came out broken.
I looked between them.
“Mom?””
Thomas spoke quietly.
“Your father discovered the truth two days before he died.””
“What truth?””
My mother started crying.
“The accident.””
My heart stopped.
“What about it?””
Thomas looked at her.
“She caused it.””
The room went completely silent.
I couldn’t breathe.
“No.””
My mother shook her head.
“Jessica, listen—”
“No.””
I backed away.
“No, you’re lying.””
Thomas looked at me.
“Your father found the evidence.””
“What evidence?””
He opened the notebook.
Pulled out a folded page.
And handed it to me.
I read it.
A police report.
A repair invoice.
A witness statement.
My mother’s name.
My mother’s car.
My mother’s signature.
The world tilted.
“Mom?””
She was crying harder now.
“Jessica, I never wanted to hurt you.””
I looked at her.
“Then why?””
She covered her face.
“I was trying to stop your father from leaving.””
The words cut deeper than anything.
“Leaving?””
“He was going to take you away.””
I stared.
“What?””
She looked at me.
“He found out what was happening and he wanted you gone.””
My hands shook.
“You tried to stop him?””
“I only wanted him to listen.””
“Mom.””
Her voice cracked.
“I didn’t know the brakes would fail.””
Nobody spoke.
The room felt frozen.
I looked at Thomas.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“And you did nothing?””
“I tried.””
“When?””
“After the crash.””
I stared at him.
“You knew she caused it and you said nothing?””
His expression hardened.
“Because your father made me promise.””
Another promise.
Another secret.
Another person deciding what I could handle.
I looked down at the notebook.
The final page was blank.
Except for one sentence.
A sentence I hadn’t seen before.
Written in a different ink.
Written after my father died.
*Jessica, if you are reading this, it means the person I trusted most has already chosen against you.*
I looked up slowly.
Because I finally understood.
My father wasn’t warning me about the person who hurt him.
May you like
He was warning me about the person who would hurt me next.
And that person was still in the room.
