Chapter 6: The Father in the Video
For several seconds after the screen went black, nobody moved.
I could hear the faint hum of my laptop fan.
I could hear Lily breathing.
And I could hear Tara quietly crying behind me.
But the only thing I could think about was one sentence.
*Her father is not the man she thinks he is.*
My hands were resting on the keyboard.
I stared at the black screen.
Then I looked at Lily.
She was looking at me.
Not with fear.
Not yet.
With confusion.
“Dad?””
I swallowed.
“I'm here.””
“What did Claire mean?””
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
Or maybe I knew exactly what she meant, and I simply didn't want to say it out loud.
Tara stepped closer.
“Marcus…”
I turned toward her.
“You knew.””
She shook her head.
“I knew she was planning something.””
“You knew about the video?””
“No.””
“You knew she recorded something.””
“I suspected.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I didn't know what she said.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
Tara looked away.
“You knew Claire was afraid of me?””
Her head snapped toward me.
“No.””
“Then why did she say that?””
“I don't know.””
“Why did she apologize to me?””
“I don't know.””
“Why did she say you didn't choose Lily by accident?””
Tara closed her eyes.
“I don't know.””
“Stop saying that.””
My voice echoed through the storage room.
Lily stepped between us.
“Dad.””
I looked at her.
She was pale.
“Please don't fight.””
I immediately lowered my voice.
“We're not fighting.””
“Yes, we are.””
She looked at Tara.
“She's scared.””
Tara wiped her face.
“You should be.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
She looked at Lily.
“It means there are things about your family history that I never knew how to explain.””
“Then explain them now.””
Tara took a breath.
“I will.””
She looked at me.
“But first, you need to understand something.””
“What?””
“Claire lied.””
I frowned.
“About what?””
“Your father.””
I felt the words before I understood them.
“My father?””
Tara nodded.
“Your biological father.””
The room seemed to tilt.
“My father died when I was twelve.””
“That's what you were told.””
I stared at her.
“My mother told me.””
“Yes.””
“And the records?””
“Changed.””
I couldn't speak.
Lily looked between us.
“Changed how?””
Tara walked to the desk.
She opened a drawer and pulled out a thin folder.
“I found this years ago.””
She handed it to me.
I opened it.
There was a birth certificate.
Not mine.
A medical record.
A court document.
And a photograph.
I looked at the photograph.
It showed my mother standing beside a man I'd never seen.
The man had dark hair and a familiar smile.
My smile.
I felt my stomach drop.
“Who is this?””
Tara whispered:
“Evan Carter.””
“That's my father.””
“No.””
She pointed at the photograph.
“That's Lily's father.””
I stared at her.
The words made no sense.
“My name is Marcus Carter.””
“I know.””
“Lily's last name is Carter because mine is Carter.””
“I know.””
“Then why are you saying he's her father?””
“Because he is.””
Lily stepped backward.
“No.””
Tara looked at her.
“Lily…”
“No.””
She shook her head.
“My dad is Marcus.””
Tara's face collapsed.
“I know.””
“He told me.””
“He believes it.””
Lily looked at me.
“Dad?””
I couldn't answer immediately.
My thoughts were crashing into each other.
Claire's message.
The photograph.
The hidden files.
The years of secrets.
I looked at the photograph again.
The man in it looked almost exactly like me.
Not just similar.
Similar enough to make my skin crawl.
“What was his relationship with my mother?””
Tara sat down.
“They were together.””
My mouth went dry.
“Before my father?””
“Yes.””
“And nobody told me?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because Evan disappeared.””
“How?””
“No one knows.””
“When?””
“Before you were born.””
I looked at Lily.
She was staring at the floor.
“And my mother?””
“She married someone else.””
“My mother never told me.””
“She didn't want you to know.””
“Why?””
Tara's voice broke.
“Because Evan was dangerous.””
I looked up.
“Dangerous how?””
“He was connected to the company.””
“The company from the archive?””
“Yes.””
“So Lily…”
I couldn't finish.
Tara did.
“Lily is Evan's daughter.””
I looked at Lily.
She was crying silently.
“I don't understand.””
I crossed the room.
She looked up.
“Do you think I'm not your daughter?””
I immediately shook my head.
“No.””
“But if you're not my father…”
“I don't care what some piece of paper says.””
“But maybe Claire does.””
I had no answer.
Lily wiped her cheeks.
“She knew.””
“Yes.””
“She knew who my real father was.””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“Maybe she was trying to keep you alive.””
Lily laughed bitterly.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
She pointed at herself.
“Everybody says they were protecting me.””
Then she looked directly at me.
“And nobody ever asks what it's like to be the person being protected.””
I felt that sentence in my chest.
She turned away.
I let her.
She needed space.
Tara stared at me.
“We have to find the rest of the video.””
I looked at the laptop.
“There might be more.””
“Claire recorded a series.””
“How many?””
“Four.””
“Where are the others?””
“I don't know.””
I opened the archive folder again.
There were subfolders.
*VIDEO_01*
*VIDEO_02*
*VIDEO_03*
*VIDEO_04*
I clicked the second.
A message appeared.
*FILE CORRUPTED. RECOVERY POSSIBLE FROM ORIGINAL DEVICE.*
“Original device,” I muttered.
Tara leaned over.
“What is it?””
“I don't know.””
I clicked the third.
Same message.
The fourth.
Same.
Then another file appeared.
*EVAN_CARTER_PROFILE*
I stared at it.
“That's my father.””
Tara nodded.
“Open it.””
I clicked.
The file contained photographs, addresses, employment records, and financial transactions.
Then one final section.
*CURRENT STATUS: UNKNOWN*
But beneath it was a more recent note.
*Subject believed deceased by public record.*
My eyes narrowed.
“Public record?””
Tara leaned closer.
“What?””
I pointed.
“This doesn't say he died.””
“No.””
“It says he was believed deceased.””
“Yes.””
“Who wrote this?””
“I don't know.””
I opened another document.
*Last verified sighting: five years ago.*
My blood ran cold.
Five years.
The same year Tara had opened the storage unit.
I looked at her.
“You found him.””
She didn't speak.
“You found Evan five years ago.””
“No.””
“Then explain the date.””
“I didn't find him.””
“What did you find?””
She looked away.
“A message.””
“From him?””
“Yes.””
“What did it say?””
“I don't remember exactly.””
“You don't remember?””
“It said he knew where Lily was.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“And you did what?””
“I changed the plan.””
“What plan?””
“The plan to tell you everything.””
I stared at her.
“You were going to tell me?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“After Lily turned sixteen.””
“Why sixteen?””
“Because that's when her mother told me she'd be old enough.””
“Her mother?””
“Yes.””
“Your plan was to wait another year?””
“I thought we had time.””
A laugh escaped me.
“You thought we had time?””
Tara looked devastated.
“I was wrong.””
Lily suddenly spoke.
“There's another file.””
We turned.
She was standing beside the laptop.
Her finger pointed to a folder hidden near the bottom.
*LILY_341*
I opened it.
Inside was one audio file.
No video.
Just audio.
The timestamp was from eleven years ago.
Lily was four.
I hesitated.
Then I clicked play.
Static.
Then a woman's voice.
My mother.
I hadn't heard her voice in years.
“Evan, if you're listening to this, I need you to understand.””
Lily's eyes widened.
My mother's voice continued.
“She isn't your daughter anymore.””
Tara covered her mouth.
My mother's voice continued.
“I changed the documents. I changed the name. I changed the records.””
My hands went cold.
“Because if they know she is yours, they'll kill her.””
I looked at Lily.
The recording continued.
“She has to become someone else.””
There was a pause.
Then my mother said:
“Marcus will protect her.””
My breath stopped.
“He doesn't know the truth.””
Tara began crying again.
“But he'll love her.””
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Lily looked at me.
“My grandmother knew.””
“Yes.””
“She gave me to you.””
I nodded slowly.
“She made me your daughter.””
My throat tightened.
“I think she did.””
“But you didn't know.””
“No.””
“She trusted you anyway.””
I couldn't speak.
Lily stepped closer.
Then she asked the question I'd been dreading.
“Do you still want me?””
I closed the distance between us.
I took her face gently in both hands.
“There is nothing in this world that could make me stop wanting you as my daughter.””
“But what if I'm not—”
“You are.””
“But biologically…”
“I don't care.””
“My real father…”
“I don't care.””
“My mother lied…”
“I care about that.””
“My whole life might be a lie.””
“That part matters.””
I looked into her eyes.
“But you being my daughter isn't a lie.””
She started crying again.
This time, she didn't fight it.
She stepped forward and hugged me.
I held her.
Then Tara whispered:
“There is something else.””
I looked over Lily's shoulder.
“What?””
“The reason Claire said I didn't choose Lily by accident.””
I released Lily slowly.
“What do you mean?””
Tara looked at the floor.
“I knew Evan.””
My entire body went still.
“How?””
“He came to me.””
“When?””
“Before Lily was born.””
“Why?””
“He wanted me to help him disappear.””
I stared at her.
“And did you?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of him?””
“Yes.””
“What did he ask you to do?””
“He asked me to take care of Lily if anything happened.””
“You were never planning to adopt her.””
“No.””
“So what changed?””
Tara looked at Lily.
“Her mother disappeared.””
“And then?””
“Then Evan contacted me.””
“From where?””
“I don't know.””
“What did he say?””
Tara's voice became barely audible.
“He said Lily wasn't the only child involved.””
I frowned.
“What other child?””
“I don't know.””
“Then why would he say that?””
“Because he believed the company had been using children.””
The room went completely silent.
“Using them for what?””
“I never found out.””
“Then the archive contains that.””
“Yes.””
I looked at the files.
“That's why they're hunting Lily.””
“Maybe.””
“No.””
Daniel spoke from the doorway.
We had almost forgotten he was there.
He stepped inside.
“The archive contains proof of it.””
I turned.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“What kind of children?””
Daniel looked at Lily.
“Children whose identities could be changed.””
Tara's face hardened.
“Daniel.””
“It's time.””
“What?””
He looked at Lily.
“She's old enough.””
Lily stared at him.
“Old enough for what?””
“To decide whether she wants the truth.””
I stepped in front of her.
“She doesn't need to decide anything tonight.””
Daniel nodded.
“Then you decide.””
He placed a small object on the desk.
An old cassette recorder.
I frowned.
“What's that?””
“The original.””
“Original what?””
“Claire's first recording.””
Tara's face went white.
“You found it.””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“In the lake house.””
My heart stopped.
“The lake house still exists?””
“Yes.””
“Who owns it?””
Daniel looked at me.
“You do.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“You inherited it six months after your mother died.””
“I don't own any lake house.””
“You do.””
Tara closed her eyes.
“I never told him.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because I thought the property had been abandoned.””
Daniel shook his head.
“It wasn't.””
“Who has it?””
“No one.””
“Then why hasn't anyone taken it?””
“They have.””
I felt the air leave my lungs.
“Who?””
Daniel looked at the door.
“The same people who are looking for Lily.””
A sharp noise came from somewhere outside.
Metal striking metal.
Daniel's expression changed.
“They found us.””
I reached for Lily.
Tara grabbed her other hand.
Daniel moved toward the corridor.
“There's a back exit.””
“I know.””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“This one isn't the way we came in.””
He pointed behind the shelves.
“There's a second passage.””
I almost laughed.
“How many secret exits does this place have?””
“Enough.””
We moved quickly.
Daniel pushed aside a metal shelf.
A narrow opening appeared.
Before I followed, I looked once more at the laptop.
The final recovered file was still sitting on the screen.
I clicked it.
A single sentence appeared.
*IF LILY FINDS THIS, TAKE HER TO THE LAKE HOUSE.*
Underneath:
*SHE WILL REMEMBER WHERE EVAN HID THE ARCHIVE.*
And beneath that, in Claire's handwriting:
*But don't let Marcus go alone.*
I stared at the last sentence.
Because beneath it was another line that had never appeared in the video.
*He has already been followed.*
I looked toward the entrance.
The footsteps outside were getting closer.
Daniel whispered, “Move.””
I grabbed Lily's hand.
Tara grabbed the flashlight.
We disappeared into the passage just as the storage unit door began to shake violently behind us.
Someone was trying to get in.
And from the other side came a voice I recognized.
Not Daniel's.
Not the gray-haired man's.
A woman's.
Cold.
Familiar.
“Tara.””
Tara stopped dead.
The voice came again.
“Bring Lily out.””
I looked at Tara.
She was trembling.
“Who is that?”” I whispered.
Her lips moved.
No sound came out.
Then, finally:
“Your mother.””
I froze.
“That’s impossible.””
Tara looked at me.
“I know.””
The voice came through the metal door one more time.
“Marcus, you were never supposed to find her.””
May you like
Lily stared at me.
And for the first time in my life, I wondered whether my dead mother had been dead at all.
