Chapter 6: The Enemy I Never Saw Coming
The first thing I did after Derek’s call was call my father.
He didn’t answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
A week ago, I would have believed Derek was lying.
I would have assumed he was trying to pull me back into his control.
But there was something different in his voice.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the kind he used to fake when he wanted sympathy.
The kind that came when someone finally realized they had lost control of the situation.
I looked at Sarah.
“Where is he?””
She frowned.
“Who?””
“My father.””
Rachel immediately stood.
“Call him again.””
I did.
Still nothing.
My chest tightened.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
From my father.
*Emily, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m handling something.*
I stared at the screen.
Something felt wrong.
My father never texted like that.
Not because he couldn’t.
Because he knew me.
He knew a message like that would make me worry more.
I showed Rachel.
Her expression changed.
“Something’s wrong.””
“How do you know?””
“Because Richard Bennett doesn’t tell his daughter not to worry when she’s already scared.””
She grabbed her coat.
“Where did Derek say he was?””
“He didn’t.””
Sarah looked at me.
“He knew about your father?””
I nodded.
Sarah became pale.
“Then this isn’t about Derek.””
“What does that mean?””
She looked at the table.
“Derek always had someone above him.””
The words felt impossible.
Someone above Derek?
A man who had spent years manipulating people, controlling every detail of his life, taking money, lying without hesitation.
Someone controlled him?
Rachel grabbed the file.
“Sarah, explain.””
Sarah took a deep breath.
“When I was married to Derek, there was always someone he answered to.””
“Who?””
“I never saw his face.””
The coffee shop suddenly felt too small.
“But I heard him.””
Sarah looked at me.
“Derek would get phone calls late at night. He would leave the room. Sometimes he would come back angry. Sometimes scared.””
My father.
My husband.
The bruises.
The money.
The lies.
Pieces were moving together.
But I didn’t like the picture they created.
Rachel’s phone rang.
She answered immediately.
“Hello?””
Her expression changed.
“Where?””
She looked at me.
“Your father’s garage.””
My heart dropped.
“What happened?””
She ended the call.
“Someone broke in.””
We arrived twenty minutes later.
The garage door was half-open.
My father’s old tools were scattered across the floor.
The place where he spent years repairing engines looked like a battlefield.
“Dad!””
I ran inside.
“Emily!””
His voice came from behind me.
I turned.
He was standing near the workbench.
A small cut marked his forehead.
But he was alive.
I nearly collapsed from relief.
“Are you okay?””
He nodded.
“I’m fine.””
I hugged him.
For a moment, I was ten years old again.
The daughter who ran to him whenever thunder scared her.
The daughter who believed her father could fix anything.
Then I pulled away.
“What happened?””
Dad looked toward the broken window.
“Someone was looking for something.””
“What?””
He hesitated.
That scared me.
“Dad.””
He walked to the workbench.
Then he opened a drawer.
Inside was a small metal box.
I had never seen it before.
“What is that?””
He looked at me.
“Something your mother left behind.””
My breathing stopped.
“My mom?””
Dad nodded.
“She told me never to open it unless you were in danger.””
I stared at the box.
“What does my mother have to do with Derek?””
My father didn’t answer.
He opened the box.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph of my mother.
Standing beside another man.
A man I recognized immediately.
Because I had seen him before.
On Derek’s documents.
The man in the picture was Derek’s father.
I stepped back.
“No.””
Dad looked at me sadly.
“Yes.””
The room spun.
“My mother knew his father?””
“Emily, there’s something I should have told you years ago.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
He picked up the photograph.
“Your mother didn’t die because of an accident.””
Silence.
The words didn’t make sense.
“What did you say?””
Dad’s eyes filled with pain.
“She discovered something about Derek’s family.””
I felt cold.
“What kind of something?””
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He looked down.
Unknown number.
Everyone became silent.
Dad answered.
No one spoke.
Then his face changed.
“Who is this?””
A pause.
Then my father’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Don’t you dare mention my daughter.””
He hung up.
I stepped closer.
“Dad?””
He looked at me.
And for the first time in my life, I saw fear in my father’s eyes.
“Emily…”
He swallowed.
“Derek wasn’t trying to control you.””
May you like
I waited.
“He was trying to get close to your family.””
