Chương 6
Richard was his father's older brother.
The man who had helped raise him after his mother supposedly died.
The man who had attended every birthday.
The man who had stood beside Daniel at his father's funeral.
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
Victor watched him carefully.
"I know what you are feeling."
"You do not know anything about what I am feeling."
Daniel's voice echoed through the stairwell.
"My uncle was the only person who stayed after my father died."
Victor nodded.
"And that is exactly why nobody questioned him."
Daniel turned away.
His memories started changing one by one.
Every conversation.
Every piece of advice.
Every moment Richard had told him to be careful.
Suddenly, he did not know whether those moments were love or manipulation.
Emily slowly stood.
"Daniel."
He looked at her.
"I know this is difficult."
"Difficult?"
His voice cracked.
"My entire life might be a lie."
Emily stepped closer.
"I know."
Daniel looked at her.
"How long have you known about Richard?"
Emily hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than any answer.
"Emily."
She took a breath.
"I only discovered his name after I found the files."
Victor looked at her.
"Why did you never tell me?"
"Because the files were incomplete."
Daniel looked between them.
"You both knew more than me."
Victor lowered his eyes.
Daniel laughed quietly.
It was not happiness.
It was disbelief.
"Everyone keeps protecting me by hiding the truth."
Nobody responded.
Because nobody could deny it.
Daniel walked toward the exit.
"We are going to my father's office."
Victor followed.
"Daniel, you need to understand what you may find there."
"I already understand."
Daniel looked back.
"I spent my whole life searching for answers about my father's death."
His eyes hardened.
"Now I am done waiting for people to decide what I deserve to know."
They left the hospital through a side entrance.
The night air hit Daniel's face.
For the first time in hours, he felt the outside world around him.
But the city no longer felt familiar.
Every shadow looked suspicious.
Every passing car felt like it could be watching them.
Victor drove while Daniel sat in the back seat beside Emily.
Nobody spoke for several minutes.
The silence was filled with thoughts too painful to say out loud.
Daniel looked at Emily.
"I need to ask you something."
She turned toward him.
"Did you ever meet my mother?"
Emily looked surprised by the question.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"I only knew what your family told everyone."
Daniel looked out the window.
"What did they tell you?"
"That she died when you were young."
"And you believed it?"
Emily looked down.
"Yes."
Daniel closed his eyes.
Another lie.
Another secret.
Another piece of his life that had been controlled by someone else.
Victor finally spoke.
"There is something you need to know about your mother."
Daniel opened his eyes.
"What?"
"She was not the person your father wanted you to believe she was."
Daniel immediately looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
Victor tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"Your mother discovered the same thing your father discovered."
"About Michael?"
"About everyone."
Daniel frowned.
"Everyone?"
Victor nodded.
"Your father built the company with people he trusted."
He paused.
"But over time, some of those people changed."
Daniel looked at him.
"And my mother found out?"
"Yes."
"What happened to her?"
Victor did not answer immediately.
The hesitation made Daniel nervous.
"Victor."
"Your mother did not die because of an illness."
The words felt like a physical удар.
Daniel stopped breathing for a moment.
Emily reached for his hand.
He barely noticed.
"What are you saying?"
Victor looked at him through the mirror.
"I am saying someone wanted everyone to believe she was gone."
Daniel felt tears forming.
He hated that his emotions were becoming impossible to control.
All his life, he had carried the pain of losing his mother.
Now he was learning that pain had been built on a lie.
"Why would my father let me believe that?"
"Because he thought it was the only way to keep you safe."
Daniel looked away.
"Safe from who?"
Victor did not answer.
The car continued through the city streets.
Minutes later, they arrived at the old family building.
The company headquarters had changed over the years.
Modern glass walls replaced the older design.
But Daniel's father's private office remained untouched on the top floor.
Nobody used it.
Nobody entered it.
It was preserved like a memorial.
Victor used an old key from his pocket.
Daniel noticed.
"You still had access?"
Victor nodded.
"Your father gave it to me."
They entered the building quietly.
The security lights turned on automatically.
The empty lobby felt strangely familiar.
Daniel remembered being a child here.
Running through the halls.
Watching his father work.
Believing this place represented safety.
Now it represented secrets.
They reached the elevator.
As they went upward, Daniel noticed Emily staring at him.
"What?"
She looked nervous.
"There is something else."
Daniel sighed.
"What now?"
Emily looked at the elevator floor.
"When I found the memory card, I found another message too."
Daniel turned toward her.
"From who?"
She swallowed.
"From your father."
The elevator seemed to slow.
"What did it say?"
Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Daniel recognized the handwriting immediately.
His father's handwriting.
The same handwriting that appeared on old birthday cards and notes from childhood.
He opened it carefully.
The message was short.
If you are reading this, then I failed to protect you.
Daniel felt his chest tighten.
He continued reading.
But the truth is stronger than the lies they built.
He looked at Victor.
There was more written below.
Trust the person who carries my greatest regret.
Daniel looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
Victor's expression changed.
He looked at the paper.
Then at Daniel.
"Your father was talking about me."
Daniel stared at him.
"Your greatest regret?"
May you like
Victor nodded.
"I was supposed to protect him."
