Chapter 8: The Man I Used To Be
The name on the screen stared back at me.
Not my name.
Not the one I had used for years.
Another name.
A name buried inside a life I couldn’t remember.
I touched the screen.
“What is this?””
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was afraid of the answer.
Eleanor looked at me carefully.
“You need to know.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
The word came out weak.
Because part of me already knew.
“You can’t keep telling me I had another life and expect me to accept it.””
Eleanor stepped closer.
“I don’t expect you to accept it.””
She pointed at the file.
“I expect you to see it.””
I opened the document.
The first page was a photograph.
Me.
Standing beside Eleanor.
Beside Victoria.
Beside a younger Charles.
We were smiling.
Like friends.
Like family.
The date was six months before Lily was born.
I felt dizzy.
“I knew you.””
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Her eyes filled with guilt.
“Because Charles threatened everyone.””
“Even you?””
“Especially me.””
A noise interrupted us.
The door behind us shook.
They had found the passage.
Eleanor grabbed the files.
“We need to leave now.””
We ran.
The secret hallway opened into an unused service staircase.
Below us, the gala continued.
People laughed.
People danced.
Nobody knew a war was happening above them.
We reached the kitchen.
A waiter nearly dropped a tray when he saw us.
Then everything happened at once.
Security guards entered from both sides.
Charles stood behind them.
But this time, he wasn’t pretending.
No smile.
No kindness.
Just anger.
“Enough.””
I stepped in front of Lily.
Charles looked at me.
“You’re making this much harder than it needs to be.””
I laughed.
“You erased my memories.””
His face remained calm.
“Because you were dangerous.””
“Who was I?””
For the first time, Charles hesitated.
“You were someone who couldn’t let things go.””
Eleanor stepped forward.
“He was the investigator who found everything.””
Charles looked at her.
“Be quiet.””
I stared at him.
“I investigated you?””
“Yes.””
“And Lily?””
Charles looked away.
That tiny movement told me everything.
“She was never your weakness,” he said.
My anger rose.
“She is my daughter.””
Charles looked at Lily.
“No.””
The room went silent.
“She is your responsibility.””
My heart stopped.
“What does that mean?””
Before he could answer, Victoria shouted:
“Don’t listen to him.””
Charles ignored her.
“You wanted the truth?””
He looked at me.
“Fine.””
He stepped closer.
“Three years ago, you discovered Eleanor’s evidence. You tried to expose me.””
I listened.
Unable to move.
“You knew you were in danger. So you made a deal.””
“What deal?””
Charles smiled slightly.
“You asked me to erase your memory.””
Nobody spoke.
I stared at him.
“That’s a lie.””
“Is it?””
He looked toward the folder in my hand.
“You signed the papers.””
My fingers shook.
“No.””
“You begged me.””
His voice became quieter.
“You said protecting Lily mattered more than remembering yourself.””
The words hit harder than anything else.
Because deep down…
they felt familiar.
A memory flashed.
A hospital room.
A crying baby.
Someone saying my name.
A woman’s voice.
“Promise me you’ll protect her.””
I grabbed my head.
Images came rushing back.
Eleanor.
The investigation.
Charles.
The accident.
The fear.
And then…
Lily.
A newborn baby placed into my arms.
I remembered.
I remembered everything.
I looked at Charles.
“You didn’t erase me.””
His expression changed.
“You failed.””
I stepped forward.
“You thought I would forget.””
Silence.
“But you didn’t erase the part that mattered.””
I looked at Lily.
“You forgot I was her father.””
Charles’ face hardened.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
And suddenly, the confidence disappeared.
“What do you mean the evidence is already public?””
Everyone froze.
Victoria looked at me.
I looked at Eleanor.
Nobody understood.
Then Charles slowly lowered the phone.
And whispered:
“The entire world just saw the files.””
I looked toward the ballroom.
Every phone screen inside had lit up.
May you like
And on every screen…
was Charles Vale’s secret.
