Chương 6
Every step felt heavier than the one before.
Daniel felt like he was walking into a part of his father's life that he was never meant to see.
At the bottom was a large room.
It was not a storage room.
It was an archive.
Shelves covered every wall.
Boxes filled with documents.
Old photographs.
Hard drives.
Files organized with dates and names.
Everything was preserved perfectly.
Richard Carter had not hidden this room because he forgot about it.
He had hidden it because he wanted something protected.
Daniel walked forward slowly.
His eyes moved across the shelves.
Then he saw a familiar name.
Michael Reynolds.
He pulled the file from the shelf.
Inside were dozens of documents.
Emails.
Photographs.
Private investigation reports.
Daniel's hands tightened as he turned each page.
Michael had spent years collecting evidence.
Evidence against Richard Carter.
Evidence against the people who helped him.
Victoria looked over his shoulder.
"He knew."
Daniel nodded.
"He knew everything."
A photograph fell from the folder.
Daniel picked it up.
It showed Michael standing outside a hospital with another person.
A woman.
Daniel did not recognize her.
But the woman was holding a baby.
The date was the same night Lily was born.
Daniel looked closer.
There was something written on the back.
"She deserves to know who she is."
His heart stopped for a moment.
He turned toward Victoria.
"Who is this woman?"
Victoria looked at the picture.
Her face became pale.
"I don't know."
Daniel studied her reaction.
"You know something."
Victoria shook her head.
"I know I have seen her before."
"Where?"
Victoria searched her memory.
"At the hospital."
The room became silent.
"You saw her?"
Victoria nodded slowly.
"She was crying."
Daniel looked back at the photograph.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Victoria looked down.
"Because I was afraid."
Daniel closed his eyes.
That answer had followed them through every discovery.
Fear.
Fear had become the reason behind every secret.
But fear had also created the pain they were now facing.
The smartwatch suddenly made a sound.
A new recording appeared.
Daniel pressed play.
Michael's voice filled the hidden room.
"Daniel, if you found this archive, then you know Richard was involved."
Daniel listened carefully.
"Your father believed money could solve every problem."
The recording paused.
"He believed he was protecting the Carter name."
Daniel looked around the room.
His father's entire legacy surrounded him.
A lifetime of success built beside hidden choices.
Michael continued.
"But there was one thing Richard never understood."
The voice became softer.
"Children are not problems to manage."
Daniel looked at Lily.
"They are people who deserve the truth."
Lily looked at her father.
Daniel reached for her hand.
Michael continued.
"The mistake at the hospital was real."
Daniel listened.
"But the crime was not the mistake."
A pause followed.
"The crime was what happened afterward."
The recording continued.
"Richard paid people to hide the records."
Victoria covered her mouth.
"He knew another family was searching."
Daniel's expression changed.
Another family.
Michael continued.
"He knew the truth would eventually come out."
A sound appeared in the recording.
Like someone entering the room where Michael had recorded the message.
Michael's voice became hurried.
"If anything happens to me, Daniel, you need to understand one thing."
The recording became distorted.
Then his final words came through.
"Your father was not the only one involved."
The message ended.
Nobody moved.
Daniel stared at the smartwatch.
Not the only one.
The words felt like a warning.
Victoria slowly spoke.
"There was someone else."
Daniel looked at her.
"Who?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
"You knew Richard was involved."
"Yes."
"And you stayed silent."
Victoria nodded.
"Yes."
Daniel looked away.
The anger returned.
But this time, it was mixed with exhaustion.
"You let me believe Michael betrayed me."
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
"I was wrong."
"You were."
She accepted the answer.
"I know."
Lily stepped between them.
Not because she understood everything.
Because she could feel the pain between the adults she loved.
"Can we stop fighting?"
Both adults looked at her.
Her voice was small.
"But we can still fix things, right?"
Daniel looked at his daughter.
That was the question he needed to answer.
Not just for her.
For himself.
He knelt down.
"Yes."
Lily looked at him.
"We can."
Daniel believed that now.
The truth had hurt them.
But it had also given them a chance.
A chance to rebuild something real.
He stood again and looked through the archive.
"We need to find out who else was involved."
Victoria nodded.
Daniel looked at her.
The trust between them was damaged.
Maybe permanently.
But there was still a choice.
To continue hiding.
Or to finally face everything.
He opened another folder.
Inside were names.
People connected to the hospital.
People connected to Richard's company.
And one name appeared repeatedly.
A name Daniel recognized.
Someone still alive.
Someone still close to the family.
Someone who had been in their home many times.
Daniel's face changed.
Victoria noticed.
"What is it?"
He slowly handed her the document.
She read the name.
Her expression turned into shock.
"No."
Daniel looked at her.
"You know this person."
Victoria stepped backward.
Because the name on the page belonged to someone they had trusted for years.
Someone who had comforted them after Richard's death.
Someone who had acted like family.
The final line on the document explained everything.
"Primary witness and financial coordinator."
Daniel felt a cold wave move through him.
The person who helped hide the truth had never left.
They had been watching.
Waiting.
And now they knew Daniel had finally found the evidence.
A sound suddenly echoed from above.
A door closing.
Daniel looked toward the staircase.
Someone was inside the mansion.
Someone who knew they were here.
He turned off the smartwatch screen.
"Stay behind me."
Victoria grabbed Lily's hand.
The hidden room went silent.
Footsteps slowly moved above them.
May you like
Getting closer.
And whoever was coming down those stairs was not there to explain the truth.
