Chapter 11: The Memory Sophie Kept
I read the sentence again and again.
Your daughter knows the truth you forgot.
At first, I thought it was a threat.
Then I realized something worse.
It was a message.
Someone knew Sophie remembered something.
Something I didn't.
I went upstairs immediately.
Sophie was sitting on her bed, coloring.
She looked up.
"Daddy?""
I sat beside her.
"Sweetheart, can I ask you about Mommy?""
Her face softened.
She always became quieter when we talked about Emily.
"Okay.""
I showed her the photo of my father and Vanessa.
"Have you seen this woman before Mommy went away?""
Sophie studied the picture.
Then her eyes widened.
"That's her.""
My heart stopped.
"Who?""
"The lady who made Mommy cry.""
I felt a chill.
"Vanessa?""
Sophie nodded.
"Mommy didn't like her.""
I swallowed.
"Why?""
Sophie hugged her rabbit.
"Because she said Vanessa wasn't honest.""
I looked at the floor.
My daughter had been carrying this memory alone.
For years.
"What else did Mommy say?""
Sophie thought.
"She said Daddy would never believe it.""
Those words hurt.
Because Emily knew me.
She knew I trusted people too easily.
She knew I wanted to see the best in everyone.
"What happened that night?""
Sophie became nervous.
"I don't remember.""
"That's okay.""
She looked relieved.
"But I remember the flowers.""
I froze.
"The flowers?""
She nodded.
"Grandpa brought white flowers.""
I felt my heartbeat increase.
"What did he say?""
Sophie closed her eyes.
"Something like...""
She paused.
"He said, 'Soon everything will belong to the right people.''"
I stood up.
My entire body felt numb.
My father.
My business partner.
Vanessa.
They were connected.
But why?
The next morning, I went to the old Sterling family estate.
The house had been empty since my father's death.
I had never returned.
Too many memories.
Too many unanswered questions.
James came with me.
When we entered, dust covered everything.
But someone had been here recently.
Fresh footprints.
A chair moved.
A drawer open.
"Someone has been searching this place," James said.
I walked into my father's office.
The room smelled exactly the same.
Leather.
Old books.
Wood.
I opened his desk drawers.
Nothing.
Then I noticed something strange.
A small scratch under the desk.
I pushed the wood panel.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a folder.
My hands shook as I pulled it out.
The first page had one name.
Emily Sterling.
I read.
And my world collapsed.
Emily had discovered my father was using company funds.
She had planned to expose him.
But she also discovered something else.
A second person involved.
A person she trusted.
A person who had access to everything.
At the bottom of the document was a handwritten note.
Emily's handwriting.
*Richard, if you find this, it means I was right. The person closest to you is the one you should fear most.*
I looked at James.
"Who had access to everything?""
He didn't answer.
Because he knew.
I knew.
There was only one person.
Jonathan.
Then my phone rang.
A message appeared.
From Jonathan.
*Stop digging, Richard. You don't know what you're about to uncover.*
May you like
A second message came immediately.
*And if you keep going, Sophie won't be the only person you lose.*
