Chapter 11: The Family Betrayal
My father stood completely still.
I watched his face.
A thousand emotions crossed it.
Anger.
Pain.
Disbelief.
But beneath all of them was something worse.
A son realizing his own mother had betrayed him.
“Where are you?”” he asked.
My grandmother laughed softly.
“Still trying to control everything.””
“Where are you?””
“Does it matter?””
My father’s voice became colder.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I want to look at you when you explain why you tried to destroy my daughter.””
Silence.
Then my grandmother spoke.
“I never wanted her hurt.””
I almost laughed.
Almost.
Because those words sounded impossible.
“She lost her leg.””
My voice came out before I could stop it.
My father looked at me.
I stepped closer to the phone.
“You knew.””
A pause.
Then:
“Sweetheart.””
I froze.
She still called me that.
“You don’t get to call me that.””
The silence afterward felt heavy.
My grandmother sighed.
“You have your father’s anger.””
“No.””
I looked at my father.
“I have his ability to see when someone is lying.””
My father placed a hand on my shoulder.
A small gesture.
But it reminded me I wasn’t alone.
My grandmother continued.
“You don’t understand what happened.””
“Then explain.””
My father spoke.
“Now.””
Another pause.
Then she said:
“Damian was supposed to inherit everything.””
My father closed his eyes.
“There it is.””
“You were always chosen.””
“Because I earned it.””
“Because your father loved you more.””
The bitterness in her voice surprised me.
My grandmother wasn’t just angry.
She was wounded.
“I watched him give you everything,” she continued.
“My name. My position. My respect.””
My father’s voice softened slightly.
“Mother…”
“No.””
She interrupted.
“You don’t understand what it feels like to watch one son become everything while the other becomes nothing.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t justify hurting people.””
My grandmother didn’t answer.
That silence told me enough.
My father asked:
“Did you know Damian planned the accident?””
“Yes.””
My heart stopped.
My father looked like someone had punched him.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“And you did nothing?””
“I thought you would finally understand.””
My father’s voice broke.
“Understand what?””
“That losing something important changes a person.””
I felt sick.
My father stepped away from me.
“You wanted me to suffer.””
“No.””
Her voice became emotional.
“I wanted you to feel what Damian felt.””
My father laughed quietly.
A broken sound.
“Damian felt ignored.””
“Yes.””
“And your solution was to hurt my daughter?””
“No.””
“Then what was it?””
My grandmother didn’t answer.
My father already knew.
“Mother.””
A long silence.
Then she whispered:
“I wanted to remove your weakness.””
The call ended.
Nobody moved.
I looked at my father.
He looked older.
Like years had passed in minutes.
Marco approached carefully.
“Boss.””
My father looked at him.
“What?””
“We found the location.””
My father turned.
“Whose?””
“Your mother’s.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Where is she?””
Marco hesitated.
“Your old family estate.””
My father’s expression changed.
The estate.
The place where he grew up.
The place he had not visited since his father died.
The place where all of this started.
My father grabbed his coat.
“I’m going.””
I stood.
“Me too.””
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Dad.””
He stopped.
“You promised.””
His face softened.
“What?””
“That I wouldn’t be left outside the truth anymore.””
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he nodded.
“Okay.””
We drove through the storm.
Nobody spoke.
But when we reached the estate, I knew something was wrong.
The front door was open.
Lights were on.
And on the floor inside was a photograph.
My childhood photograph.
The same one Brandon destroyed.
Except this one was different.
Someone had written a message on the back.
My father picked it up.
His face changed.
“What does it say?”” I asked.
He turned the picture over.
Three words.
May you like
Three words that made his blood run cold.
“ASK YOUR MOTHER.””
