Chapter 7: The Cousin Who Wanted Everything
Marcus didn’t run.
That was the strangest part.
He didn’t speed away like someone caught committing a crime.
He drove slowly.
Almost calmly.
Like he wanted us to see him.
Like he wanted us to know.
Dad stepped off the porch.
“Marcus!””
The SUV stopped.
For a second, I thought he would get out.
Instead, the window lowered.
Marcus looked at us.
And smiled.
Not the friendly smile I knew.
Not the smile he used at family dinners.
Something colder.
“You figured it out faster than I expected.””
My stomach tightened.
Claire stepped forward.
“Why?””
Marcus looked at her.
“You’re asking me why?””
His voice carried through the quiet street.
“After everything?””
Claire shook her head.
“You lied to me.””
“No.””
He laughed.
“I showed you the truth.””
“You told me Emma didn’t care about me.””
“Didn’t she?””
I stepped forward.
“Leave her out of this.””
Marcus looked at me.
“There she is.””
“What?””
“The perfect daughter.””
I felt anger rise.
“You don’t know me.””
“Oh, I know you better than you think.””
Dad moved closer.
“This ends now.””
Marcus’s smile disappeared.
“No, Daniel.””
He said my father’s name differently.
Like it carried years of resentment.
“This started years ago.””
Dad froze.
“What are you talking about?””
Marcus looked at him.
“You always chose her.””
My eyebrows pulled together.
“Her?””
He pointed toward me.
“Emma.””
I stared.
“That’s not true.””
Marcus laughed.
“You all say that because it sounds better.””
Dad shook his head.
“Marcus, whatever happened to you does not justify hurting my daughters.””
“Your daughters?””
His expression darkened.
“That’s the problem.””
Nobody spoke.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“I spent my whole life being the child nobody noticed.””
Claire looked at him.
“Marcus…”
“You know what it feels like?””
His voice cracked.
“To watch someone else get every opportunity while you stand behind them?””
I looked at Claire.
The similarity was obvious.
He had found someone who felt invisible.
And he turned her pain into a weapon.
“You were never invisible,” Dad said.
Marcus laughed.
“Easy for you to say.””
Dad stepped closer.
“You had a family.””
Marcus’s face changed.
For the first time, I saw something other than anger.
Pain.
“You don’t know anything about my family.””
Then he drove away.
We called the police.
We gave them everything.
The messages.
The fake complaint.
The evidence.
But Marcus had already disappeared.
For two days, there was nothing.
No messages.
No threats.
No sign of him.
The silence almost felt worse.
Because everyone knew it wasn’t over.
Then, on Friday afternoon, I received an email.
The sender was unknown.
The subject line was:
*The truth about your scholarship.*
My hands shook as I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph of my father meeting someone at the university.
The date was the night before my scholarship approval.
Below it was a message.
*Ask your father what he promised.*
I immediately went downstairs.
Dad was sitting at the kitchen table.
He saw my face.
“What happened?””
I placed the phone in front of him.
He stared at the picture.
Then he whispered:
“He wasn’t supposed to know about that.””
My heart stopped.
“What wasn’t he supposed to know?””
Dad didn’t answer.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because this wasn’t about Marcus anymore.
May you like
There was another secret.
One my father had buried.
