Chapter 9: The Truth No One Survived
For three years, I imagined what I would say if I ever saw my father again.
I imagined running into his arms.
I imagined crying.
I imagined asking why he left me.
I imagined telling him how much I hated him.
But when he stood in front of me, older than the man in my memories, carrying the weight of years I never knew existed, I couldn’t say anything.
Not one word.
My father looked at me like he was afraid I would disappear.
Like I was the ghost.
“Isabella…”
Hearing my name from him broke something inside me.
I stepped back.
“No.””
His expression fell.
I shook my head.
“No, you don’t get to say my name like nothing happened.””
Everyone became silent.
Daniel looked at me, but he didn’t interrupt.
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
Even Marcus said nothing.
Because this was no longer about companies.
It was about a daughter and a father who had lost each other.
“You were alive,” I whispered.
My father nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“For years.””
“Yes.””
“And you let me believe you were dead.””
His eyes filled with tears.
“I never wanted that.””
“But you allowed it.””
The pain on his face was real.
That almost made it worse.
“I did.””
I laughed softly, but there was no happiness in it.
“Why?””
He looked down.
“Because the people who wanted me gone were watching you.””
I crossed my arms.
“Everyone says they were protecting me.””
My voice shook.
“But nobody ever asked what it felt like to be abandoned.””
My father closed his eyes.
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
The words came faster.
“You don’t know what it’s like to grow up hearing people whisper that your father ruined everything. You don’t know what it’s like to hate your own last name because people look at you like you’re carrying a crime you didn’t commit.””
“I know,” he whispered.
I stopped.
He looked at me.
“Because I watched from a distance.””
That sentence hurt.
“You watched?””
Tears filled my eyes.
“You watched me struggle?””
“I tried to help.””
“Without telling me who you were?””
He had no answer.
And that was the answer.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Mr. Moretti.””
My father looked at him.
“I owe you an apology too.””
Daniel looked surprised.
“For what?””
“For what my choices did to your family.””
The room became tense.
Daniel glanced at Marcus.
“What choices?””
My father looked toward him.
“The choices that started this.””
Marcus crossed his arms.
“Tell them everything.””
My father nodded.
“I was young.””
He looked at the contract.
“Your grandfather trusted me. He believed our families could build something together.””
Daniel listened carefully.
“But I became ambitious.””
The confession shocked everyone.
“I thought I could make the company bigger. Faster. I made deals I shouldn’t have made.””
“With who?”” Daniel asked.
My father looked at Marcus.
“The Coles.””
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“I warned you.””
“Yes.””
My father looked down.
“You did.””
I frowned.
“Wait.””
I looked between them.
“You two knew each other?””
My father nodded.
“Marcus and I were friends.””
The room went silent.
“Friends?””
“Yes.””
Marcus looked bitterly amused.
“Before money destroyed everything.””
My father continued.
“When I discovered the deals were being used to steal from both families, I tried to fix it.””
Daniel asked:
“And that’s when you disappeared?””
My father nodded.
“The people behind it weren’t interested in fixing anything.””
“Who were they?”” I asked.
My father looked at me.
Then at Evelyn.
Nobody wanted to say it.
Finally, Evelyn whispered:
“Your uncle.””
My father nodded.
“And someone inside Hawthorne.””
Daniel went still.
“Someone inside my family?””
“Yes.””
The room fell silent.
Then my father reached into his coat.
He pulled out an old folder.
Inside were photographs.
Bank records.
Documents.
Proof.
“I kept these because I knew one day the truth would have to come out.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“And now it will.””
Daniel looked through the papers.
His face changed.
“What is this?””
My father’s expression hardened.
“The evidence that Ethan wasn’t acting alone.””
I felt cold.
“Who was helping him?””
My father didn’t answer.
Instead, he handed Daniel one final document.
Daniel read it.
Then his face became completely blank.
“What?””
I asked.
He looked at me.
“The person who funded Ethan’s entire operation…”
A pause.
“Was someone we all trusted.””
The room waited.
Daniel slowly lifted his eyes.
“It was my father’s closest friend.””
Evelyn covered her mouth.
“No.””
My father nodded.
“Yes.””
Then Daniel’s phone buzzed.
Everyone froze.
Another message.
This time from Ethan.
May you like
Only one sentence appeared:
*You finally found the truth. But you still don’t know who will lose everything tomorrow.*
