Chapter 7 - THE FATHER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD

For five seconds, my mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.

My father.

Standing in front of me.

Alive.

The man whose funeral I attended.

The man whose ashes sat inside the family memorial.

The man I had cried for three years after losing.

Alive.

Arthur held the gun tightly, but his eyes weren’t on me.

They were on my father.

My father looked older.

Much older.

His hair was gray.

His face carried thirty years of pain.

But his eyes…

Those were the same eyes I remembered from childhood.

“Dad?”

The word escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

My father looked at me.

A thousand emotions crossed his face.

Regret.

Love.

Pain.

“Vincent…”

My legs almost gave out.

“How?”

Arthur laughed.

A cold, empty laugh.

“Because your entire life has been built on a carefully designed story.”

I looked at Arthur.

“You told me my father died.”

“I protected you.”

“By lying to me?”

Arthur’s expression hardened.

“By keeping you alive.”

My father stepped forward.

“Don’t listen to him.”

Arthur immediately pointed the gun.

“Stay back.”

My father stopped.

And in that moment, I understood something.

Arthur wasn’t in control.

He was scared.

The powerful man who manipulated my entire family for decades was finally afraid.

“Why did you fake my father’s death?”

Arthur’s eyes moved toward me.

“Because your father refused to cooperate.”

My father looked away.

Arthur continued.

“He wanted to expose me.”

I stared at my father.

“Is that true?”

He nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

My heart hurt.

“Then why didn’t you come back?”

His eyes filled with tears.

“Because Arthur threatened you.”

Silence.

“He told me if I disappeared, you would live.”

My father’s voice broke.

“If I returned, he would destroy everything you had.”

I looked at Arthur.

All these years.

All the pain.

All the unanswered questions.

It was because of him.

Then my mother entered the room.

Arthur froze.

For the first time, he looked truly terrified.

“No…”

My mother stared at him.

“You thought you buried me thirty years ago.”

She stepped closer.

“But you only buried your own mistake.”

Arthur’s hand tightened around the gun.

“You should have stayed hidden.”

My mother smiled sadly.

“I tried.”

She looked at me.

“But my son deserved the truth.”

Suddenly, the lights came back on.

And we heard a sound from outside.

Sirens.

Police.

Arthur looked toward the window.

“How?”

I pulled out my phone.

“I recorded everything.”

His face changed.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I already did.”

For the first time, Arthur realized something.

His power was gone.

But before anyone could enter…

He smiled.

A terrifying smile.

“Vincent…”

He looked at me.

“You still don’t know what your mother did before she disappeared.”

My blood turned cold.

“What are you talking about?”

Arthur whispered:

“Ask her why she left you with me.”

Then he dropped the gun.

And surrendered.

But his final words stayed in my head.

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