Chapter 15: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Nobody spoke.
Nobody even moved.
My father’s face filled the screen.
A face I had seen in old photographs.
A face I had watched disappear from this world.
But there he was.
Alive.
Speaking directly to me.
“Marcus,” the video continued.
“I know you have questions.””
I stepped closer.
My heart was pounding.
This couldn’t be real.
It wasn’t possible.
My father died.
I attended the funeral.
I watched the coffin lower into the ground.
But the man on the screen smiled.
A smile I remembered.
Cold.
Confident.
“I know you believe I’m gone.””
The video paused.
Then he continued.
“That was the point.””
Vanessa whispered:
“No…”
I looked at her.
“You know?””
She shook her head.
“I don’t understand.””
Claire looked terrified.
“He wasn’t supposed to be alive.””
I turned.
“What do you mean?””
She stared at the screen.
“Your father faked things before.””
The video continued.
“My son always believed he knew me.””
My hands tightened.
“But Marcus never understood the difference between power and control.””
The words hurt because they sounded exactly like him.
The man who taught me business.
The man who taught me winning mattered more than feelings.
“I built an empire.””
His voice remained calm.
“I made sacrifices.””
The screen showed documents.
Photos.
Records.
Then a picture of Lily.
As a baby.
My stomach turned.
“You all think I stole a child.””
My father smiled.
“You’re wrong.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“What is he saying?””
The video continued.
“I saved this family from destruction.””
I almost laughed.
“Saved?””
The room heard me.
Everyone looked at me.
My father’s voice continued.
“Daniel was irresponsible. Vanessa was weak. Claire was angry. Diane was afraid.””
One by one.
He named them.
As if he had been watching.
“As for Marcus…”
A pause.
“You were naive.””
I felt anger burning.
The video shifted.
A final document appeared.
A birth record.
But it wasn’t Nia’s.
It wasn’t Lily’s.
It was mine.
My own name.
My own birthday.
“What is that?””
Ethan stepped closer.
“I don’t know.””
My father’s voice returned.
“The biggest secret is not the children.””
Everyone froze.
“Not Lily.””
“Not Nia.””
“Not Vanessa.””
The screen zoomed in on my birth certificate.
“The biggest secret is Marcus.””
My blood ran cold.
The video ended.
No explanation.
No answer.
Just black.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Vanessa whispered:
“What does that mean?””
I looked at the screen.
I didn’t know.
For my entire life, I had known who I was.
Or thought I did.
“My father is saying I’m the secret.””
Claire slowly sat down.
“This was never about Lily.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She looked terrified.
“Your father spent eighteen years hiding something.””
“About me?””
She nodded.
Daniel stepped forward.
“I think I know what.””
Everyone looked at him.
“How?””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“Because your father contacted me years ago.””
My eyes narrowed.
“When?””
“Before Lily was born.””
I stared.
“Why?””
Daniel took a breath.
“He wanted information about your mother.””
“My mother?””
“Yes.””
I felt dizzy.
My mother had died when I was young.
There were so many pieces missing from my childhood.
Too many.
“What information?””
Daniel looked at the letter.
“He wanted to know if you were really his son.””
The room went silent.
I laughed once.
A hollow sound.
“No.””
Nobody answered.
Because everyone knew.
The next question was unavoidable.
If my father spent years hiding whether I was his son…
Then who was my real father?
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
One sentence.
*Meet me if you want the truth about who you really are.*
Below it was a location.
And a name.
A name I had never heard before.
*Your mother’s brother.*
I looked at Vanessa.
Then Claire.
Then Daniel.
May you like
My entire life had been built on secrets.
And now I was finally about to learn the first one.
