Chapter 4: The Truth Hidden in Blood
I couldn’t speak.
The room became a blur.
David’s words repeated in my head.
She’s yours.
Impossible.
I looked at Emma.
She stared back at me with the same scared expression she had when I first found her behind the wall.
“Ryan,” Emily whispered.
I turned toward her.
“Is it true?””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
That silence answered everything.
“You knew?””
She started crying.
“I didn’t know how to tell you.””
“How long?””
“Since before we got married.””
The anger inside me was overwhelming.
“You let me believe Lily was my only child.””
“You are Lily’s father.””
“And Emma?””
Emily looked at the little girl.
“You were.””
The word hurt more than anything.
I looked at Emma.
She was watching us like she was afraid the truth would make me leave.
I knelt down.
“Emma.””
She wiped her tears.
“Yes?””
“Did you know me before today?””
She shook her head.
“But Mommy showed me pictures.””
My chest tightened.
“What pictures?””
She pointed at Emily.
“She told me about my daddy.””
Emily covered her face.
“I never wanted this.””
David laughed.
“You never wanted the consequences.””
I turned toward him.
“Explain.””
David smiled.
“Six years ago, Emily left me. She took Emma and disappeared.””
“She escaped you,” Thomas said.
David ignored him.
“I found her eventually.””
My hands curled into fists.
“And you hid my daughter?””
“I protected her.””
“You locked her inside a wall.””
David’s expression changed.
“She was never supposed to stay there forever.””
I almost attacked him.
Thomas stepped between us.
“Ryan, listen carefully. David is not here because of Emma.””
David smiled.
“Yes I am.””
Thomas shook his head.
“No. You’re here because of what Ryan’s father left behind.””
David’s eyes narrowed.
“What do you know?””
Thomas reached into his pocket.
A small flash drive.
“This.””
David’s face changed.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
I noticed.
“What’s on it?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“Everything.””
Before he could explain, David suddenly moved.
Fast.
He grabbed Emily.
She screamed.
“Let her go!””
David held a knife against her.
Emma started crying.
“Mommy!””
I stepped forward.
“David, don’t.””
He looked at me.
“You don’t understand what your father did.””
“Then tell me.””
His eyes became cold.
“He ruined everything.””
Thomas shouted:
“Ryan, don’t listen to him.””
David tightened his grip.
“Your father discovered the truth about Emma’s birth.””
I froze.
“What truth?””
David smiled.
“The truth that your family has hidden from you.””
A loud siren sounded outside.
Police.
David looked toward the window.
His expression changed.
Then he whispered:
“Ask your mother why she really gave you away.””
My blood ran cold.
“My mother?””
David released Emily and ran toward the hidden passage.
I chased after him.
But before he disappeared, he turned around.
“Your whole life is a lie, Ryan.””
Then he vanished into the darkness.
I stood there, breathing heavily.
Thomas approached slowly.
In his hand was the flash drive.
“You need to see this.””
I looked at him.
“What is it?””
He pressed the drive into my hand.
“The reason Emma was hidden.””
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Then he said:
“And the reason your own mother wanted you to never discover the truth.””
