Chapter 6: The Secret My Father Kept
I had spent my entire life believing my father was the one person who would always tell me the truth.
That night, standing in our kitchen with my phone glowing in my hand, I realized I might have been wrong.
The message sat there like a warning.
*You’re getting closer. Maybe you should ask your father what Marcus knows about the night your scholarship application was approved.*
I looked at Dad.
He didn’t look surprised.
That was the part that scared me the most.
“Dad,” I said quietly.
His eyes moved away from mine.
“Emma…”
“No.””
My voice shook.
“I need you to tell me why that person mentioned the night my scholarship was approved.””
The kitchen went silent.
Mom looked at him.
“Daniel?””
Dad closed his eyes for a moment.
Like he had been carrying a heavy secret for years and finally realized he couldn’t carry it anymore.
“Everyone sit down,” he said.
Claire pulled out a chair slowly.
I remained standing.
“What happened?””
Dad rested both hands on the table.
“Your scholarship application wasn’t originally approved.””
My heart dropped.
“What?””
Claire looked confused.
“What are you talking about?””
Dad looked at me.
“Emma, your application was missing a recommendation document.””
I shook my head.
“No. The university told me everything was complete.””
“It was completed later.””
“By who?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that pause told me everything.
“Dad.””
He looked down.
“I helped.””
I felt like the room tilted.
“You helped?””
“I contacted someone I knew at the university.””
My chest tightened.
“So I didn’t earn it?””
Dad’s expression changed instantly.
“No. That’s not what I mean.””
“Then what do you mean?””
He stood up.
“Emma, listen to me. Your grades, your essays, your achievements… those were yours. I didn’t create that.
I didn’t buy anything. I didn’t cheat.””
“Then why did you interfere?””
His face fell.
“Because the recommendation letter from your old teacher was delayed, and the deadline was approaching.””
I stared at him.
“So you pulled strings.””
“I asked someone to make sure your file was reviewed after the missing document arrived.””
Claire leaned back.
“So Marcus knew?””
Dad nodded slowly.
“He was helping me organize some family paperwork around that time.””
The room went cold.
Marcus.
The name that kept appearing.
The person behind the messages.
The person who knew things nobody else should know.
“Why would he do this?”” I whispered.
Dad looked at the floor.
“Because he misunderstood.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Misunderstood?””
“He thought I was giving you opportunities you didn’t deserve.””
My hands curled into fists.
“That’s exactly what Claire thought.””
Dad looked at Claire.
And for the first time, my sister looked ashamed.
“He used your jealousy,” Dad said softly.
Claire swallowed.
“He talked to me for weeks.””
Everyone looked at her.
“What?””
She wiped her eyes.
“I thought he understood me.””
My anger shifted.
“Claire…”
“He would say things like, ‘Emma always gets lucky.’ He said our family only cared about her future.””
Dad’s jaw tightened.
“He manipulated you.””
Claire nodded.
“I know.””
A terrible silence filled the room.
Then Dad’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Who is it?”” Mom asked.
Dad didn’t answer.
He walked away from the table.
That alone made me nervous.
Because Dad never walked away from difficult conversations.
He faced them.
Unless…
Unless he was afraid.
A minute later, he returned.
“We need to go.””
I stood.
“Where?””
“Marcus’s house.””
Claire looked shocked.
“Now?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Dad grabbed his keys.
“Because he just sent me a message.””
“What did it say?””
Dad looked at us.
And his voice was barely a whisper.
“He knows we figured it out.””
The drive to Marcus’s house felt endless.
Nobody spoke.
The streets passed by in silence.
When we arrived, his front porch light was on.
But the house looked empty.
Dad knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again.
Still nothing.
Then he noticed something on the door.
A white envelope.
His name was written across the front.
Dad picked it up.
“Don’t open it,” I said.
But he already had.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
He read it.
His face went pale.
“What?””
He handed it to me.
There were only seven words.
*You should have protected both daughters.*
I looked at Dad.
“What does that mean?””
He didn’t answer.
Because behind us, a car engine started.
We turned.
A black SUV pulled away from the curb.
May you like
And sitting in the driver’s seat…
was Marcus.
