Chapter 13: The Father Behind Everything
The video stopped.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The face on the screen remained frozen.
My father.
Richard Carter.
A man who had supposedly died five years ago.
A man whose funeral I attended.
A man whose ashes sat in a small memorial box in our family home.
A man who was now standing beside Rebecca’s car on the night my wife disappeared.
My hands went numb.
“No.””
The word escaped my mouth before I even realized I said it.
Clara looked at me.
“Julian…”
“That’s not possible.””
Detective Harris stared at the screen.
“Are you absolutely certain?””
I almost laughed.
How could I not be?
I knew that face better than my own.
The wrinkles around his eyes.
The way he stood.
The slight tilt of his head when he was angry.
“That’s my father.””
The room became heavy.
Lily was upstairs with a police officer.
Evelyn stayed with her.
Everyone else watched a dead man walk across a screen.
Detective Harris replayed the video.
This time, we focused on every detail.
The timestamp.
The location.
The people.
The conversation.
The audio was damaged, but one sentence was clear.
Richard’s voice.
“Once Clara is gone, everything belongs where it should.””
My stomach turned.
“Everything?””
Detective Harris looked at the documents from earlier.
“The company.””
Clara whispered.
“The assets.””
I looked at her.
“And Lily.””
Nobody wanted to say it.
But we all knew.
My father wasn’t trying to replace Clara.
He wasn’t trying to steal my wife.
He was trying to control my entire family.
For years, I believed my father was a businessman who cared too much about power.
I never imagined he would destroy lives to get it.
I remembered my childhood.
The endless meetings.
The cold dinners.
The way he always said emotions were weaknesses.
“Family is only valuable when it can be controlled,” he used to tell me.
I thought it was just a cruel saying.
I was wrong.
It was his entire philosophy.
Detective Harris looked at me.
“Your father’s death certificate needs to be investigated.””
“How?””
“Someone may have faked his death.””
Clara looked at the video again.
“Why would he stay hidden?””
I knew the answer before I said it.
“Because dead men can’t be blamed.””
Everyone looked at me.
“He could control things from the shadows.””
Detective Harris nodded.
“And he had people doing the work.””
Rebecca.
Ethan.
Mark.
Everyone was a piece.
Except one piece was missing.
“Where is he now?””
The detective looked concerned.
“We don’t know.””
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From my father.
*You finally found the truth.*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
*But you still don’t know why Clara survived.*
Clara saw it.
Her face changed.
“What does that mean?””
I typed back.
*Where are you?*
The response came immediately.
*The place where everything started.*
A location followed.
The old Carter family estate.
The house where my father raised me.
The house that had been abandoned after his “death.””
Detective Harris immediately shook his head.
“Absolutely not.””
“He wants me there.””
“He wants you alone.””
“I won’t be alone.””
Clara stepped forward.
“I’m coming.””
I looked at her.
“No.””
Her expression hardened.
“You don’t get to protect me by leaving me behind.””
The words stopped me.
Because she was right.
For two years, everyone made decisions for Clara.
Everyone decided what was best for her.
She had lost her memories.
Her home.
Her daughter.
Her choice.
Not anymore.
Detective Harris sighed.
“We’ll set up surveillance.””
We drove to the estate at sunset.
The old house looked exactly the same.
Broken windows.
Overgrown grass.
A place frozen in time.
The front door opened before we touched it.
A voice echoed from inside.
“Welcome home, Julian.””
My father stepped out of the shadows.
Alive.
Older.
But exactly the same.
I couldn’t move.
“You’re really here.””
He smiled.
“You sound disappointed.””
Clara stepped beside me.
Richard looked at her.
“Clara.””
She stared at him.
“You tried to kill me.””
He shook his head.
“No.””
Everyone froze.
“I tried to remove an obstacle.””
My anger exploded.
“She is my wife.””
“She was a weakness.””
I stepped forward.
“You destroyed your own family.””
Richard smiled.
“No, Julian.””
He looked around the house.
“I saved it.””
Then he reached into his pocket.
And pulled out a folder.
Inside was a document.
One that made Clara’s face turn pale.
May you like
Because it had her signature.
From the day before the crash.
