Then a fourth.
Each time, the words remained the same.
*Your father isn’t the victim. He’s the reason Claire died.*
My mind rejected it.
Not because I believed my father was innocent.
Not anymore.
But because accepting it meant everything I knew about my life was built on a lie.
My father.
My mother.
The company.
Claire’s death.
All of it connected to something I never saw coming.
I looked at Richard.
The man who raised me.
The man who disappeared.
The man who was supposedly dead.
“Explain.””
My voice was quiet.
That scared me more than anger.
Richard looked at the phone in my hand.
Then at my face.
He knew.
He knew exactly what I had seen.
“Ethan…”
“No.””
I stepped back.
“I don’t want another secret.””
His face tightened.
“I was trying to protect you.””
“That sentence has destroyed my family.””
Silence.
I held up the phone.
“Nathan says you’re the reason Claire died.””
Richard closed his eyes.
And that reaction told me everything.
Not guilt.
Pain.
But pain could come from many things.
Regret.
Loss.
Or being exposed.
“Is it true?””
My father didn’t answer.
“Dad.””
He finally whispered:
“I made mistakes.””
The words hit harder than a denial.
“What kind of mistakes?””
He looked older than he had moments before.
“I built something I thought I could control.””
“The Grand Regent?””
“Yes.””
“And?””
“I was wrong.””
I waited.
He walked toward the window.
“When I started the company, I believed information was power.””
He looked at the city lights.
“The right information could prevent disasters. Stop bad investments. Protect people.””
I listened.
“But eventually, people around me started using that information differently.””
“Your partners.””
He nodded.
“Margaret.””
My mother’s name.
Still strange.
Still impossible.
“She believed control was the only way to keep the company alive.””
“And you disagreed?””
“At first.””
The answer surprised me.
“At first?””
Richard turned.
“I thought she was ruthless.””
“Was she?””
“Yes.””
A pause.
“But she was also right about one thing.””
“What?””
“That powerful people don’t lose because they’re wrong.””
He looked at me.
“They lose because they trust the wrong people.””
I shook my head.
“This still doesn’t explain Claire.””
Richard looked down.
“No.””
“Then explain.””
His voice became heavier.
“Claire discovered that I had created a hidden network inside the company.””
I frowned.
“A network?””
“People who monitored threats.””
“Security?””
“No.””
He looked away.
“Influence.””
The word felt poisonous.
“She found out I had files on executives, investors, and partners.””
I stared.
“Why?””
“To protect the company.””
“But Claire didn’t see it that way.””
“No.””
Richard’s voice broke slightly.
“She saw it as a betrayal of everything she believed the company should be.””
That sounded exactly like Claire.
She would never accept a good outcome built on something wrong.
“What happened after she found out?””
Richard hesitated.
“She confronted me.””
“When?””
“Three days before the accident.””
My chest tightened.
The same timeline.
The same night everyone kept mentioning.
“What did she say?””
Richard looked at me.
“She said she loved you too much to let you become like me.””
The words hurt.
Because they sounded like Claire.
“What did you do?””
“I tried to convince her.””
“To keep quiet?””
“Yes.””
I stared.
“You asked my wife to hide the truth.””
“I asked her to wait.””
“Why?””
“Because I was trying to dismantle the network safely.””
I laughed bitterly.
“After she died?””
Richard looked down.
“Yes.””
The silence was unbearable.
Then my phone rang.
Nathan.
I answered immediately.
“Nathan.””
His breathing was heavy.
“Ethan.””
“Where are you?””
“Not important.””
“It is.””
“No.””
His voice sharpened.
“What matters is you need to leave.””
I looked at Richard.
“Why?””
“Because he found you.””
“Who?””
Nathan paused.
“Thomas.””
I frowned.
“He’s here?””
“No.””
“Then who?””
Nathan lowered his voice.
“The person controlling him.””
I looked at Richard.
Then the old estate.
“Margaret.””
Silence.
Nathan answered:
“Yes.””
My stomach dropped.
“She’s alive.””
“Yes.””
“And she’s behind this?””
Another pause.
“That’s what I thought.””
“What does that mean?””
Nathan exhaled.
“It means I was wrong.””
I froze.
“About what?””
“Everything.””
The words came slowly.
“I thought your father was responsible.””
My eyes moved to Richard.
“But?””
“But Claire found proof that he wasn’t.””
I stopped breathing.
“What proof?””
Nathan sounded exhausted.
“The person who caused the accident wasn’t Richard.””
I looked at my father.
“Then who?””
Nathan didn’t answer immediately.
Then:
“Your mother.””
The room went silent.
Again.
Another impossible truth.
Another person who wasn’t supposed to exist.
My father looked at me.
He heard.
“Ethan…”
I raised my hand.
“No.””
I needed to hear Nathan.
“Nathan, tell me everything.””
“She came back because she wanted control.””
“Of the company?””
“Yes.””
“And Claire?””