Chapter 14: The Man Behind Karen's Secrets
The name Daniel haunted me.
It was just a name.
A stranger.
Someone I had never met.
But somehow, that person had been connected to my family for years.
My father spent the entire night searching through old records.
I watched him from the kitchen.
He looked different.
Not angry.
Determined.
Like he had finally stopped running from the past.
"Did you find anything?""
He looked up.
"Maybe.""
He turned the laptop toward me.
There was an old business record.
A company name.
And underneath it...
Daniel's full name.
Daniel Whitmore.
I didn't recognize it.
But my father did.
His face changed.
"You know him?""
My father stared at the screen.
"I knew of him.""
"What does that mean?""
He leaned back.
"Years ago, before your mother got sick, I was considering investing in a business.""
"Daniel's business?""
He nodded.
"But I didn't.""
"Why?""
My father was quiet.
"Your mother didn't trust him.""
A strange feeling moved through me.
Again.
My mother.
Always trying to warn people.
Always noticing things others ignored.
"What happened to him?""
My father searched.
Then stopped.
"He's still alive.""
I felt uneasy.
"Where?""
My father looked at the screen.
"Living in another state.""
Before we could continue, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Again.
I answered.
"Hello?""
Nobody spoke.
Then a voice.
A woman's voice.
"You found the room.""
I froze.
My father looked at me.
"Who is this?""
The woman ignored him.
"You were never supposed to find those things.""
My hand tightened around the phone.
"Who are you?""
A pause.
Then:
"Someone who knew your mother.""
The call ended.
I stared at the screen.
My father immediately called back.
Blocked.
No answer.
"How did she know?""
I whispered.
My father didn't respond.
Because we both knew the answer.
Someone had been watching.
Someone knew what we found.
That evening, we received another surprise.
Mia came downstairs.
She looked nervous.
"I need to tell you something.""
My father looked at her.
"What?""
She glanced at me.
"I found something in Mom's room.""
My heart sank.
"Karen's room?""
She nodded.
"I was looking for my things.""
She placed an envelope on the table.
"I found this hidden behind a drawer.""
My father opened it.
Inside were documents.
More documents.
But this time, they weren't about money.
They were about me.
My name was written at the top.
I felt sick.
"What is it?""
My father read silently.
Then his expression changed.
He handed it to me.
It was an old evaluation report.
From when I was younger.
A report about my behavior.
But the words inside weren't mine.
They were lies.
It claimed I was unstable.
Difficult.
Unable to adjust.
I stared at it.
"I never said these things.""
My father looked furious.
"I know.""
Mia whispered:
"Mom used this to make people believe you needed extra support.""
I looked at her.
"Why?""
She looked ashamed.
"Because she wanted Dad to think you were the problem.""
The room became silent.
My father closed his eyes.
All these years.
All these misunderstandings.
Built on lies.
Then Mia said something else.
"There was one more thing.""
"What?""
She swallowed.
"Before Mom left, she told me something.""
I looked at her.
"What?""
Mia started crying.
"She told me if anything happened, I should never tell you.""
My heart stopped.
"Tell me what?""
Mia looked down.
"That she knew.""
"Knew what?""
Mia whispered:
"She knew Mom was planning to hurt you.""
The room went silent.
My father stood.
"Who?""
Mia looked at me.
May you like
Then said the name.
"Daniel.""
