Chapter 7: The Voice From the Past
Nobody touched the phone.
It sat in Daniel’s hand, glowing in the darkness of the ruined wedding garden.
One message.
One name.
One impossible truth.
*Richard Carter.*
My father.
The man I had buried fifteen years ago.
The man whose photograph I kept hidden in my bedroom.
The man whose voice I had spent years trying to remember.
Alive.
And accusing my husband.
My eyes moved slowly toward Daniel.
He didn’t look away.
That somehow made it worse.
If he had looked guilty, if he had panicked, if he had tried to explain too quickly, maybe I would have known what to believe.
But Daniel just stood there.
Quiet.
Watching me.
“Emily…”
I stepped back.
“Don’t.””
The word came out colder than I expected.
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Pain.
“Listen to me.””
“I don’t know what to listen to anymore.””
My voice cracked.
“Everyone has been lying to me.””
My mother covered her mouth.
Victoria looked devastated.
Alexander looked like he wanted to run.
And Daniel…
Daniel looked like he had been waiting for this moment.
Like he knew this day would come.
“Answer one question.””
I pointed at the phone.
“Is my father alive?””
Daniel was silent.
That silence destroyed me.
“Daniel.””
Finally, he nodded.
“Yes.””
The world seemed to tilt.
I closed my eyes.
A thousand memories rushed through my mind.
My father carrying me on his shoulders.
My father teaching me how to ride a bicycle.
My father telling me stories when storms knocked out the electricity.
Then the funeral.
The empty coffin.
The relatives saying he was gone.
All of it was a lie.
I opened my eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Daniel looked down.
“Because I didn’t know how.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“It’s the truth.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You’re a billionaire who investigated my entire family, uncovered secrets from fifteen years ago, and somehow you couldn’t tell me my own father was alive?””
His face tightened.
“I found out recently.””
“When?””
“A month ago.””
The answer hurt.
A month.
He had known for a month.
I shook my head.
“You had a month.””
“Yes.””
“And you said nothing.””
“Yes.””
The honesty almost made me angrier.
“Why?””
Daniel looked at the phone.
“Because your father asked me not to.””
Everyone froze.
My mother stared at him.
“What?””
Daniel looked at her.
“I met Richard.””
My mother’s face went pale.
“When?””
“Before he disappeared.””
A strange silence followed.
My mother looked like she couldn’t decide whether to be angry or relieved.
“You knew where he was?””
Daniel nodded.
“But not everything.””
I looked at him.
“Then tell me everything now.””
He took a breath.
And for the first time since I met him, Daniel Hayes looked afraid.
“Your father survived the crash.””
The garden became completely silent.
“He was badly injured. He knew the people who attacked him would come after you and Eleanor if they thought he was alive.””
My mother whispered:
“So he disappeared.””
Daniel nodded.
“He went into hiding.””
I looked at the phone.
“And he never contacted me?””
Daniel’s eyes softened.
“He wanted to.””
The answer hurt.
“Then why didn’t he?””
“Because every time he tried, someone was watching.””
I looked around.
At the empty garden.
At the broken wedding.
At the secrets surrounding my family.
“Who?””
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“The same people who have been controlling everything.””
My mother stepped closer.
“But Richard believed you were part of it.””
Everyone turned.
Daniel looked at her.
“What?””
My mother stared at him.
“That message.””
She pointed toward the phone.
“He believes you caused his disappearance.””
Daniel went quiet.
And that was when I noticed something.
Something small.
A flicker of guilt.
Not fear.
Guilt.
My heart sank.
“Daniel.””
He looked at me.
“What aren’t you telling me?””
Before he could answer, the phone rang.
Again.
Richard Carter.
My father.
I stared at the screen.
Daniel slowly handed it to me.
“Answer it.””
My fingers trembled as I accepted.
I pressed the phone to my ear.
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then…
“Emily?””
The sound of his voice shattered me.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t speak.
Because it was him.
Older.
Weaker.
But him.
“Dad?””
A broken sound escaped my throat.
“Dad…”
On the other end, I heard him breathe heavily.
“My little girl.””
The tears came instantly.
I turned away from everyone.
I didn’t care who was watching.
I didn’t care about the wedding.
I didn’t care about anything.
My father was alive.
“I thought you were gone.””
“I know.””
His voice cracked.
“I’m sorry.””
“No.””
I wiped my face.
“No, you don’t get to just say sorry.””
Silence.
“You let me mourn you.””
“I know.””
“You let me think I had no parents.””
“I know.””
His pain was obvious.
But my pain was still there.
“Why?””
My father was quiet for a long time.
Then he said:
“Because I was trying to keep you alive.””
I looked toward Daniel.
“Daniel said that too.””
My father became silent.
Then his voice changed.
“You’re with him.””
It wasn’t a question.
I looked at Daniel.
“Yes.””
A pause.
Then my father whispered:
“Emily, you need to leave.””
My body went cold.
“What?””
“Get away from him.””
I stared at Daniel.
“Why?””
My father lowered his voice.
“Because Daniel Hayes is not the man you think he is.””
Everyone saw my reaction.
Daniel’s expression became unreadable.
I turned away.
“Dad, I need you to explain.””
“I can’t.””
“You can.””
“No.””
His voice became urgent.
“Emily, listen to me carefully.””
I held my breath.
“Daniel did not save our family.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“He destroyed it.””
The words echoed.
I looked at Daniel.
He didn’t defend himself.
That scared me.
My father continued.
“Fifteen years ago, Daniel was the person who gave Robert Whitmore access to the company.””
A wave of shock moved through the crowd.
I looked at Daniel.
“No.””
My father’s voice broke.
“I’m sorry.””
“Dad…”
“I know you love him.””
The words hurt because they were true.
“But you don’t know what he did.””
Daniel finally spoke.
“Richard.””
Everyone looked at him.
He stepped closer.
My father heard.
The silence on the phone changed.
“You’re there.””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
My father’s voice became colder.
“I should have known.””
Daniel looked down.
“I tried to explain.””
“No.””
My father sounded exhausted.
“You made your choice.””
I felt trapped between two impossible truths.
The father I had spent years grieving.
And the husband who had been beside me through everything.
“Someone is lying.””
My voice shook.
“Both of you can’t be right.””
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel said something quietly.
Something that made my blood run cold.
“Emily.””
I looked at him.
“There’s one person who can prove what happened.””
My father immediately shouted through the phone:
“No!””
Everyone froze.
Daniel continued.
“The person who signed the original agreement.””
My mother’s face changed.
She knew.
“Who?””
Daniel looked toward the darkness beyond the garden.
“The person who started this.””
A car engine suddenly roared from outside the estate.
Security lights flashed.
A vehicle stopped near the entrance.
The door opened.
A figure stepped out.
Everyone watched.
Because the person walking toward us was someone we all recognized.
Someone who had been missing for years.
Someone who knew the truth.
My father’s voice trembled through the phone.
“Emily…”
“Don’t let her reach you.””
I stared at the approaching figure.
My mother whispered the name.
And my entire body went cold.
Because the person walking toward us was the one person who could destroy every lie.
*Robert Whitmore’s widow.*
Alexander’s mother.
May you like
And in her hand…
was the original contract that started everything.
