CHAPTER 5 — The Father's Dark Secret
Daniel drove straight to the luxury retirement estate where Richard Brooks now lived.
The old businessman welcomed him with a smile.
"I wondered how long it would take."
Daniel slammed the fake photographs onto the table.
"You destroyed my family."
Richard didn't even deny it.
"I saved your future."
Daniel stared in disbelief.
"What?"
"You were twenty-five."
"You had scholarships."
"A military career."
"A bright future."
"Then Emily got pregnant."
Richard poured himself another glass of whiskey.
"I refused to watch my son throw everything away."
"So I paid someone to create those photographs."
"I mailed them anonymously."
"I convinced Emily you had abandoned her."
"And when your letters started arriving..."
"I made sure Helen believed I was protecting her daughter."
Daniel's hands shook with rage.
"You manipulated both families."
Richard shrugged.
"It worked."
"For fifteen years."
Daniel stood frozen.
Everything...
Every birthday.
Every Christmas.
Every lonely night.
Every unanswered letter.
Had been stolen by one man's obsession with control.
As Daniel turned to leave, Richard spoke one final sentence.
"You should thank me."
"If you'd stayed with Emily, you'd have been ordinary."
Daniel slowly turned back.
"No..."
"You made sure you died alone."
He walked away without another word.
May you like
Richard never realized...
The entire conversation had been recorded.
