Chapter 13: The Father Who Never Died
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t speak.
For fifteen years, I had carried the pain of losing my father.
I remembered the funeral.
The black suit.
The endless line of people pretending they understood my grief.
I remembered standing beside his grave, promising I would protect everything he built.
And now he was standing in front of me.
Alive.
Older.
Different.
But unmistakably him.
“Dad?””
The word came out before I could stop it.
My father looked at me.
His eyes filled with regret.
“Vincent.””
I stepped back.
“No.””
My voice shook.
“No, you don’t get to say my name like nothing happened.””
He lowered his head.
“I know.””
“You let me bury you.””
“I know.””
“You let me think I lost you.””
“I know.””
Every answer made me angrier.
Because he wasn’t denying anything.
He was accepting it.
Like he had been waiting years for this moment.
Sophia suddenly ran toward me.
“Daddy!””
I caught her and held her tightly.
Vanessa didn’t stop her.
Neither did Marco.
They just watched.
My father looked at Sophia.
“She’s beautiful.””
I turned toward him.
“You don’t get to talk about my daughter.””
The pain on his face was real.
But I didn’t care.
Not yet.
“You disappeared.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked around the warehouse.
“Because if I stayed, everyone I loved would die.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone I loved almost died anyway.””
My father closed his eyes.
“I know.””
Marco stepped forward.
“Vincent, listen.””
I turned on him.
“You don’t get to speak.””
He stopped.
“You betrayed me.””
Marco looked down.
“Yes.””
The admission surprised me.
No excuses.
No lies.
“I betrayed your trust,” he said.
“But I never betrayed your family.””
I stared at him.
“Then explain the video.””
Marco looked at Vanessa.
“She wasn’t kidnapping Sophia.””
Vanessa started crying.
“I was trying to protect her.””
I looked at her.
“After everything you did?””
She nodded slowly.
“I know what it looks like.””
“It looks like you poisoned me.””
Her eyes closed.
“I was wrong.””
“You threatened my daughter.””
“I was trying to scare her away from the truth.””
The truth.
That word again.
Everyone had a different version.
My father stepped forward.
“Vincent, you need to understand.””
“No.””
I pointed at him.
“You need to understand.””
The warehouse went silent.
“I spent my entire life believing I had to become like you.””
My father looked at me.
“I never wanted that.””
“But you created it.””
I swallowed hard.
“You taught me that trust was weakness.””
His expression changed.
“Your father taught you the opposite.””
“Then why did everyone around me betray me?””
No one answered.
Because there was no easy answer.
My father finally spoke.
“Because I failed.””
The honesty caught me off guard.
“I thought I could control everything.””
He looked at Sophia.
“I thought hiding the truth would protect you.””
“And did it?””
His eyes filled with pain.
“No.””
I looked at Marco.
“Tell me everything.””
Marco nodded.
“The accident was arranged by a group of people who wanted control of the family.””
“Who?””
My father answered.
“The same people who killed your first wife.””
The room became cold.
I looked at Vanessa.
Then Marco.
Then my father.
“And Lorenzo?””
My father’s expression hardened.
“Lorenzo was a piece on the board.””
“Not the player.””
“No.””
I felt my hands tighten.
“Who was?””
My father looked at me.
“The person who has been moving against us for twenty years.””
A terrible feeling entered my chest.
“Who?””
My father hesitated.
Then said:
“The person who raised Lorenzo.””
I frowned.
“Lorenzo had no one.””
My father looked at Marco.
Marco nodded.
“He did.””
A file was placed on the table.
Inside was a name.
A name that made my entire body freeze.
Because I knew it.
Everyone knew it.
May you like
And the worst part was…
I had invited that person into my home.
