Chapter 9 - The Lie That Destroyed My Family
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t speak.
I just stared at the photograph.
My boss.
Diane.
The stranger.
Together.
A secret meeting.
Years ago.
“No,” I whispered.
The man smiled.
“You don’t want to believe it.”
“That’s not possible.”
“You trusted him.”
“Yes.”
“And Diane?”
I looked away.
The truth hurt.
Because I had trusted both of them.
The man stepped closer.
“Your brother found out.”
I looked at him.
“What did Jason find?”
“The truth.”
“Tell me.”
He looked at the USB drive.
“That’s why they killed him.”
The words hit me like a punch.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
I wanted to believe he was.
I needed him to be.
But too many pieces were connecting.
The fake documents.
The stolen money.
The surveillance.
The fear.
“What’s your name?”
He smiled.
“Alex.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“I’m not.”
I frowned.
“Then what are you doing?”
“I’m giving you a chance.”
“A chance?”
“To save your children before they become the next victims.”
My phone suddenly rang.
I looked down.
It was Noah’s school.
My heart dropped.
I answered.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice.
“Mr. Carter?”
“Yes?”
“We need you to come immediately.”
“What happened?”
A pause.
Then:
“Your son left school with someone.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“What?”
“We thought it was you.”
I looked at Mark.
My face went pale.
“Who took him?”
The woman hesitated.
“We don’t know.”
I grabbed the phone tighter.
“Check the cameras.”
“We already did.”
“And?”
Her voice became quiet.
“The person who picked him up…”
My breathing stopped.
“…was wearing your jacket.”
I looked down.
The jacket I was wearing.
The jacket I had left at home.
The jacket someone had stolen.
Someone was pretending to be me.
Someone had my son.
And then my phone received a message.
A picture.
Noah sitting in a dark room.
His hands tied.
May you like
Underneath the picture was one sentence:
“Now you know how it feels to lose a child.”
