Chapter 9: The Father Who Knew Everything
“Don't go.””
Jada's voice was quiet.
Nathan stood beside Lily's hospital bed, phone still pressed to his ear.
Robert had ended the call.
But his final words remained in Nathan's mind.
Don't make me explain why Emily had to disappear from our lives.
Nathan looked at Jada.
“I need to know what happened.””
“You can find out without walking into a room with a man who may be involved.””
“He's my father.””
“And Andrew is your brother.””
Nathan had no answer.
Jada continued.
“Both of them knew Lily was in danger. One of them already tried to get someone into this hospital. You can't assume your father will tell you the truth just because he's family.””
Nathan glanced at his daughter.
Lily was asleep, her small fingers curled around the teddy bear.
He looked at Detective Morgan.
“Can you arrange for me to speak with him?””
Morgan nodded.
“Under supervision. We can have officers nearby.””
Nathan shook his head.
“I don't want to wait.””
“Mr. Sterling, this is an active investigation. We need to protect the evidence.””
Nathan looked at Jada.
She was right.
He couldn't let anger make him careless again.
“Fine,” he said.
“But I want the meeting tonight.””
Detective Morgan nodded.
“I'll arrange it.””
Robert Sterling lived in a sprawling estate outside the city.
The house had belonged to the family for decades.
White columns framed the entrance. A long driveway curved between perfectly trimmed hedges, and the windows glowed warmly against the dark evening.
Nathan had grown up there.
He had learned to ride a bicycle in the garden.
He had celebrated birthdays in the dining room.
He had brought Emily home for the first time through those doors.
Now he was returning with police officers.
And he no longer knew whether the man inside was his father or the person who had helped destroy his family.
Detective Morgan waited outside with two officers.
Nathan entered alone.
Robert was sitting in his study.
He wore a dark cardigan and held a glass of water.
A framed photograph of the family stood on the desk.
Nathan.
Andrew.
Their mother.
And Robert.
There was no photograph of Emily.
Nathan noticed immediately.
“Where are the pictures of Emily?””
Robert looked up.
“Good evening to you too.””
“Where are they?””
“I put them away years ago.””
“Why?””
Robert sighed.
“Because this house has enough sadness.””
Nathan stepped closer.
“You told me to stop investigating Emily's death.””
Robert put down his glass.
“I told you to stop reopening old wounds.””
“Why did you have the key to her archive?””
Robert's face changed.
For a moment, the old man looked genuinely surprised.
Then he leaned back.
“Emily asked me to keep it.””
“What did she leave inside?””
“I don't know.””
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“Three years, Father. Three years of telling me to trust Andrew. Three years of telling me Victoria was a wonderful woman. And now you're saying you know nothing?””
Robert's expression hardened.
“Watch your tone.””
Nathan stepped toward the desk.
“My daughter was pushed off a rooftop today.””
Robert's eyes flickered.
“I heard.””
“Did you?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn't you call?””
Robert looked down.
“I didn't want to interfere.””
Nathan stared at him.
“You didn't want to interfere?””
“Your brother told me what happened.””
“Andrew told you?””
“Yes.””
Nathan felt his stomach tighten.
“And what did he say?””
“That Victoria was being falsely accused.””
Nathan closed his eyes.
Of course.
Andrew had already started controlling the story.
Nathan placed the photograph of Andrew and Victoria on the desk.
“Were they together?””
Robert glanced at it.
Then he looked away.
“Yes.””
Nathan felt his breath catch.
“You knew?””
Robert nodded.
“Andrew told me.””
“And you let him introduce her to me?””
Robert remained silent.
Nathan leaned forward.
“Why?””
Robert finally spoke.
“Because Andrew said she could help us.””
“Help us do what?””
Robert rubbed his forehead.
“The family business was in trouble.””
Nathan stared.
“What does that have to do with Lily?””
“Emily had discovered irregularities in the accounts. She wanted an independent audit. If she had gone to the authorities, the entire company would have collapsed.””
Nathan shook his head.
“So you let Andrew steal from my daughter?””
“I was trying to protect the family.””
“You were protecting the company.””
Robert's voice rose.
“Do you have any idea what your grandfather built? What I sacrificed to keep this business alive?””
Nathan looked at him.
“My wife died.””
Robert went quiet.
“My wife died, Father. And you were worried about the company?””
Robert lowered his eyes.
“I never wanted Emily hurt.””
Nathan's blood ran cold.
“Then you knew something was going to happen?””
Robert didn't answer.
Nathan stepped closer.
“Father.””
Robert looked at him.
“I knew Andrew was planning to frighten her.””
“Frighten her?””
“He wanted her to stop investigating.””
Nathan felt his chest tighten.
“What did he do?””
Robert's hands began trembling.
“He said he would arrange a meeting. He told me it would be enough to make her understand.””
Nathan stared.
“And you let him?””
Robert shook his head.
“I didn't know what he was planning.””
“But you knew he was threatening her.””
“Yes.””
Nathan took a step backward.
For the first time, he couldn't look at the man who had raised him.
Robert stood.
“Nathan, listen to me. I have spent years trying to keep this family together.””
“You kept the truth buried.””
“I thought it was the only way.””
“You let me believe Emily died in an accident.””
Robert's eyes filled.
“I didn't know she would die.””
Nathan's voice broke.
“Did Andrew cause the accident?””
Robert looked toward the fireplace.
“I don't know.””
“Did you help cover it up?””
Robert didn't answer.
Nathan understood.
He had his answer.
Detective Morgan entered the study.
“Mr. Sterling, I'm going to need you to come with us.””
Robert turned.
“Why?””
“We have questions regarding the original accident investigation and the missing trust documents.””
Robert looked at Nathan.
“Are you doing this to your own father?””
Nathan's eyes filled.
“No.””
He swallowed.
“You did this to your family.””
Two officers approached.
Robert didn't resist.
But as they escorted him toward the door, he suddenly stopped.
“Nathan!””
Nathan turned.
“Your mother knew.””
Nathan froze.
“What?””
Robert looked at him.
“She knew Emily was being threatened. She tried to stop Andrew.””
Nathan stared.
“My mother?””
Robert nodded.
“She found out about the money and the forged documents. She wanted me to report everything.””
“Why didn't she?””
Robert's voice cracked.
“Because Andrew threatened to expose something about her.””
Nathan felt the room shift.
“What?””
Robert shook his head.
“I don't know what he was talking about. He never told me.””
Nathan looked at Detective Morgan.
“Ask him about the archive.””
Morgan nodded.
An officer escorted Robert away.
Nathan remained standing in the study.
His eyes fell on the framed family photograph.
He picked it up.
On the back was a date.
The day of Emily's funeral.
Underneath, someone had written:
Some secrets are worth keeping.
Nathan turned the frame over.
And noticed something unusual.
The photograph had been placed over a small brass keyhole.
He removed the frame.
Behind it was a narrow wall safe.
He stared.
“Detective?””
Morgan returned.
“What is it?””
Nathan pointed.
“There's a safe.””
An officer examined it.
A few minutes later, it was opened.
Inside were several folders, a small flash drive, and an old envelope.
The envelope had Emily's handwriting.
Nathan picked it up carefully.
It was addressed to his mother.
*TO HELEN. PLEASE BELIEVE ME.*
Nathan opened it.
The letter was brief.
Helen,
I know you suspect Andrew. I know Robert has asked you to stay quiet.
But I need you to understand that Victoria is not simply helping him. She has been involved from the beginning.
If anything happens to me, please protect Lily.
And please tell Nathan the truth about the night I came to see you.
Nathan stopped.
He looked at Detective Morgan.
“What night?””
Morgan read the letter.
Then she examined the folder beneath it.
Inside was a medical report.
A report dated three years earlier.
It stated that Emily had visited a private clinic with symptoms consistent with exposure to a toxic substance.
Nathan felt sick.
“What does this mean?””
Morgan looked at the document.
“We need a medical examiner to interpret it.””
Nathan stared at the report.
“Was Emily poisoned?””
“It's too early to say.””
He turned the page.
A handwritten note appeared in the margin.
Patient believes exposure occurred at home. Suspects medication was tampered with.
Nathan's knees weakened.
Emily had been taking medication for migraines during the final months of her life.
He remembered bringing her water.
He remembered placing the tablets beside her bed.
He remembered Victoria later telling him that Emily had become increasingly anxious and confused.
Nathan looked at the officer.
“Did Victoria have access to our house?””
“Yes,” the officer answered.
“She had keys.””
Nathan closed his eyes.
He remembered the evening before Emily's accident.
Victoria had visited their house.
She had brought flowers.
She had offered to prepare dinner.
Emily had gone upstairs early.
And Nathan had thanked Victoria for helping him.
He felt physically ill.
Back at the hospital, Jada was sitting beside Lily when Nathan returned.
He looked as though he had aged ten years.
Jada stood immediately.
“What happened?””
Nathan placed the medical report on the table.
“Emily may have been poisoned.””
Jada covered her mouth.
“Oh, my God.””
“The report was hidden in my father's study.””
Lily stirred.
“Daddy?””
Nathan immediately sat beside her.
“I'm here, baby.””
“Did you find Mommy's letter?””
He looked at the little girl.
“Yes.””
“Was it good?””
Nathan forced a small smile.
“It helped us understand some things.””
Lily touched his sleeve.
“Can we go home now?””
Nathan hesitated.
“Soon.””
“Will you stay with me?””
“Every second.””
Jada watched him.
Something about the way he answered was different.
The fear was still there, but beneath it was determination.
He was finally protecting his daughter.
Not simply reacting to danger.
Making sure it couldn't reach her again.
Nathan's phone vibrated.
Detective Morgan had sent a message.
We located the third recording.
Nathan opened it.
The video showed Emily sitting in her car outside the Sterling estate.
She was crying.
Her face was bruised.
She looked directly into the camera.
“If anything happens to me, don't believe Andrew.””
Nathan's breathing stopped.
Emily continued.
“And don't believe Robert.””
She wiped her face.
Then she said the words that made Nathan's blood turn cold.
“Victoria was there the night they changed my medication. But she wasn't the one who gave it to me.””
A pause.
Emily looked toward someone outside the vehicle.
Then she whispered:
“The person who did it was…”
The video suddenly cut off.
Nathan stared at the screen.
“Why does it stop?””
Detective Morgan called immediately.
“We're trying to recover the missing section.””
Nathan looked at Jada.
“Who was Emily talking about?””
Jada shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Then Nathan noticed something in the background.
A reflection in Emily's car window.
A figure standing behind her.
A woman.
Wearing a familiar silver bracelet.
Nathan zoomed in.
His hands began trembling.
He knew that bracelet.
He had bought it for someone years earlier.
Someone who had stood beside him at Emily's funeral.
Someone who had cried harder than anyone else.
May you like
Nathan whispered:
“Mother?””
