Chapter 7: The Father I Lost
I didn't sleep that night.
I sat on Daniel's couch until sunrise, staring at the phone lying on the coffee table.
The same phone that had carried my father's voice.
A voice that should have been impossible.
Every few minutes, I picked it up.
Every few minutes, I put it back down.
Because accepting the call meant accepting the truth.
And the truth was terrifying.
My father was alive.
Or someone wanted me to believe he was.
Daniel sat across from me, silent for most of the night.
For once, he didn't try to explain.
He didn't try to protect me.
He just stayed.
At 6:12 in the morning, my phone buzzed.
Both of us looked at it.
A message.
Unknown number.
*Come alone. 10:00 AM. The old train station.*
My stomach tightened.
Daniel immediately shook his head.
"No.""
I looked at him.
"You don't even know what it says.""
"I know enough.""
"It's my father.""
"Or someone pretending to be your father.""
The words hurt.
Because they were possible.
I stood and walked toward the window.
"When I was twelve, I used to wait by the front door every Friday night.""
Daniel watched me.
"For your father?""
I nodded.
"He traveled a lot for work. He always came home late on Fridays. He'd bring me something small.""
A sad smile crossed my face.
"Sometimes a book. Sometimes candy. Once, he brought me a tiny music box because he said he heard a song that reminded him of me.""
Daniel looked down.
"You never told me that.""
"I thought I had forgotten.""
The silence grew.
"But I didn't forget him.""
Daniel stood.
"Emma, if you go, I'm coming with you.""
"No.""
His expression changed.
"I wasn't asking.""
I turned around.
"I need to know why everyone has been lying to me.""
"Then let me help you.""
"Daniel.""
My voice softened.
"I'm not saying I don't need you.""
That surprised him.
"I'm saying I need to do this myself.""
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he nodded.
"Okay.""
I wasn't expecting that.
"Okay?""
"I won't follow you.""
I exhaled.
"Thank you.""
"But I need you to promise me something.""
"What?""
"If anything feels wrong, you leave.""
I looked at him.
"You sound like my father.""
Daniel's face changed.
"Maybe that's because he was trying to protect you too.""
The old train station had been abandoned for years.
The city had built a newer station across town, leaving the old one behind like a forgotten memory.
The platform was empty.
The air smelled like rust and rain.
I checked the time.
9:58.
My heart pounded.
10:00.
A figure appeared at the far end of the platform.
An older man.
Gray hair.
Dark coat.
Walking slowly.
I stopped breathing.
Because even after fifteen years...
I knew him.
Not from photographs.
Not from memories.
From something deeper.
A daughter recognizing her father.
"Emma.""
His voice broke me.
I couldn't move.
He stopped several feet away.
Neither of us spoke.
Then I whispered:
"You're alive.""
His eyes filled with tears.
"I never wanted you to find out this way.""
I almost laughed.
A painful, broken sound.
"How else was I supposed to find out?""
He lowered his head.
"I made mistakes.""
"Mistakes?""
My anger finally came.
"You let me think you were dead.""
"I had no choice.""
"Everyone says that.""
I stepped closer.
"My husband says he was protecting me. My mother says she was protecting me. Everyone keeps making choices for me.""
My father's face fell.
"Your mother is still doing that?""
I froze.
"What does that mean?""
He looked toward the empty tracks.
"She never told you the truth about what happened that night.""
"What night?""
"The night I disappeared.""
I swallowed.
"Tell me.""
He looked back at me.
"Your mother didn't lose me.""
A cold feeling moved through my body.
"She helped me disappear.""
The world seemed to tilt.
"No.""
"Emma—"
"No.""
I stepped back.
"My mother loved you.""
"She did.""
The answer surprised me.
"Then why?""
My father looked away.
"Because she found out what I was doing.""
"What were you doing?""
He reached into his coat.
Pulled out a small envelope.
And handed it to me.
Inside were copies of documents.
Bank transfers.
Names.
Dates.
My eyes moved quickly.
Then stopped.
Because one name appeared over and over.
Evan.
My heart dropped.
"No.""
My father watched my reaction.
"You know him.""
I looked up.
"How do you know Evan?""
My father's expression turned dark.
"Because he wasn't the person who found you.""
The wind moved across the empty platform.
"He was the person who was sent to find you.""
I stared at him.
Every memory of Evan changed instantly.
The dinners.
The conversations.
The way he remembered everything about me.
"What?""
My father stepped closer.
"Emma, listen carefully.""
His voice became urgent.
"Your affair wasn't an accident.""
I felt sick.
"What are you saying?""
He looked directly into my eyes.
"Someone placed him in your life.""
My phone suddenly buzzed.
I looked down.
A message.
From Daniel.
*Please answer. Something happened.*
My father's face changed when he saw the screen.
"Who is Daniel?""
I swallowed.
"My husband.""
For the first time, my father looked afraid.
"Emma...""
"What?""
He stared at me.
"You married Daniel Carter?""
I nodded slowly.
May you like
My father took a step back.
"Then they already won.""
