Chapter 9: The Last Secret
The photograph of Marcus tied to a chair stayed on my phone screen for three seconds.
Three seconds was all it took for my entire body to react.
My brother.
My little brother.
The person who had spent years carrying a truth I refused to hear.
Now he was paying the price for protecting me.
“Where is he?”” I asked.
Nobody answered.
I looked at James.
My father.
The man who had created this entire nightmare.
“Where is my brother?””
James stared at the message.
For once, he didn’t look powerful.
He looked afraid.
“That isn’t my doing.””
I stepped closer.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I have enemies.””
I laughed.
“You made enemies out of everyone.””
Daniel moved beside me.
“Who sent the message?””
I looked at him.
He was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that came from surviving too many disappointments.
James noticed him.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
Daniel looked at him.
“I’ve spent my whole life being told where I shouldn’t be.””
That sentence silenced the room.
Because it was true.
Daniel had spent twenty-six years living outside a family that should have been his.
Claire walked toward him slowly.
“Daniel…”
He stepped back.
Not angrily.
Painfully.
“I don’t know how to call you Mom.””
Claire stopped.
The tears came immediately.
“I understand.””
“No, you don’t.””
His voice cracked.
“You got to know what happened. You got to choose when to tell me.””
He looked around.
“I had no choice.””
Nobody spoke.
Then James’s phone rang.
Everyone turned.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Answer it,” I said.
He hesitated.
“Answer it.””
James pressed the button.
A man’s voice filled the warehouse.
“You have the documents?””
James said nothing.
The voice continued.
“I asked a simple question.””
James looked at me.
Then away.
“Yes.””
The voice laughed.
“Good. Bring them.””
“Where is Marcus?””
A pause.
Then:
“Alive.””
My fists tightened.
“Let me talk to him.””
The man laughed.
“You don’t make demands.””
I grabbed the phone from James.
“Who are you?””
Silence.
Then the man replied:
“You really don’t recognize my voice?””
Something about it bothered me.
Something familiar.
“Who are you?””
The man laughed again.
“Your father should have told you.””
James suddenly reached for the phone.
“No.””
I pulled away.
“Tell me.””
The voice became colder.
“My name is Ethan Cross.””
The world stopped.
Ethan.
Daniel’s supposed father.
The man who had disappeared.
The man everyone blamed.
James went pale.
“You’re dead.””
Ethan laughed.
“Everyone in this family loves pretending people are dead.””
The call ended.
Nobody moved.
Then Daniel whispered:
“That was my father.””
I looked at James.
“Explain.””
James looked exhausted.
“Ethan was never a victim.””
“What does that mean?””
“He knew about Daniel.””
Marcus had been right.
There were more layers.
More lies.
James continued.
“Ethan wanted money. He threatened Claire. He threatened me.””
Claire shook her head.
“No.””
James looked at her.
“You knew.””
Her face changed.
“What?””
“You knew Ethan was alive.””
I turned toward Claire.
She looked horrified.
“No.””
James pointed at her.
“She received letters.””
Claire stepped back.
“I thought they were fake.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
She covered her face.
“Because every time I tried to tell the truth, someone got hurt.””
The room became chaos.
Everyone had a reason.
Everyone had fear.
Everyone had hidden something.
And somehow, every secret led us here.
My phone rang.
This time, it was not a message.
It was Marcus.
I answered immediately.
“Marcus?””
His breathing was heavy.
“Arthur.””
I closed my eyes.
Relief hit me.
“Where are you?””
“Listen carefully.””
His voice was weak.
“Don’t bring the documents.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“He doesn’t want the documents.””
“Who?””
Marcus coughed.
“Ethan.””
I looked at Daniel.
Marcus continued.
“He wants James.””
Everyone went silent.
“What are you talking about?””
“Arthur…”
His voice lowered.
“The truth isn’t about Daniel.””
I froze.
“Then what is it about?””
A long silence.
Then Marcus said:
“It’s about you.””
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
My entire life had been a mystery.
But suddenly I wondered if I had been asking the wrong question.
Not:
Who is Daniel’s father?
But:
Why did everyone spend twenty-five years hiding the truth from me?
I looked at James.
He looked away.
And that was when I knew.
My father still had one secret left.
A secret even Marcus didn’t know.
“Dad.””
James looked at me.
“What happened to me?””
His expression changed.
“What?””
“Twenty-five years ago.””
Silence.
“The years I can’t remember clearly.””
Nobody moved.
I stepped closer.
“What happened?””
James’s face went pale.
May you like
And then he whispered:
“You were never supposed to survive that night.””
