CHAPTER 9 — THE VOICE FROM THE PAST
CHAPTER 9 — THE VOICE FROM THE PAST
Lucas stood outside his house for almost a full minute after the call ended.
The phone was still pressed against his ear.
But there was no sound.
No voice.
No explanation.
Only silence.
A silence that felt heavier than any scream.
Because the impossible had just happened.
His father had called him.
Thomas Weaver.
The man whose funeral Lucas attended.
The man whose photograph sat beside his mother’s bed.
The man Lucas had spent twelve years believing he would never hear again.
Alive.
Somewhere.
And somehow connected to Florence’s disappearance.
Lucas looked down at the silver bracelet in his hand.
His mother’s bracelet.
A bracelet she wore every day.
A bracelet his father had given her on their tenth anniversary.
This was not a random threat.
Whoever took Florence knew her.
Knew her history.
Knew the family.
And now they were forcing Lucas into a game he didn’t understand.
The first person Lucas called was Daniel.
Not the police.
Not yet.
Because Lucas knew something.
The people behind this had planned everything carefully.
They had manipulated doctors.
Lawyers.
Financial records.
They had connections.
If he moved too quickly, Florence could disappear forever.
Daniel answered immediately.
“Lucas?”
“They took my mother.”
Silence.
Then:
“What?”
“Florence is gone.”
“How?”
“I found a note.”
Lucas sent him a picture.
Then another message.
“Someone called me.”
Daniel paused.
“Who?”
Lucas looked at the darkness outside.
“My father.”
A long silence followed.
Then Daniel spoke carefully.
“Lucas.”
“I know what it sounds like.”
“No.”
Daniel’s voice became serious.
“I’m not saying you’re wrong.”
“I’m saying we need proof.”
Lucas closed his eyes.
“I heard his voice.”
“Voices can be copied.”
That sentence stopped him.
“What?”
“There are technologies that can imitate voices.”
Lucas looked at his phone.
A terrible possibility appeared.
“What if it wasn’t him?”
“That’s what we need to find out.”
Lucas hated that Daniel was right.
Because twelve years of grief had created a weakness.
A part of him wanted desperately to believe.
Wanted his father to be alive.
Wanted the universe to return something it had stolen.
But hope could also be a trap.
And Lucas could not afford to follow emotions anymore.
Not when his mother’s life was at risk.
One hour later, Daniel arrived.
They sat in Lucas’s living room.
The same room where Gwendolyn had once laughed.
The same room where Florence had cried.
Now it felt like the center of a war.
Daniel examined the note.
“The handwriting is interesting.”
“What do you mean?”
“It looks rushed.”
“Meaning?”
“The person who wrote this was angry.”
Lucas frowned.
“Angry?”
“Yes.”
“Not confident.”
“Not someone calmly controlling the situation.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Someone under pressure.”
Lucas thought about that.
Interesting.
If the person behind everything was truly powerful...
Why would they make mistakes?
Why kidnap Florence now?
Why reveal Thomas?
Unless...
“They’re losing control.”
Daniel nodded.
“That’s what I think.”
Lucas looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because your investigation reached something they wanted hidden.”
“The truth about my father.”
“Yes.”
The next morning, Daniel traced the phone number that called Lucas.
It took hours.
But finally...
He found something.
“Lucas.”
“What?”
“I got a location.”
Lucas immediately stood.
“Where?”
Daniel turned his laptop.
An address appeared.
A small town outside the city.
Lucas stared.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because that address belongs to an abandoned factory.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Which factory?”
Lucas swallowed.
“The old Weaver manufacturing plant.”
The old factory.
A place Lucas had not visited since childhood.
His father built it before expanding into real estate.
It was where Thomas Weaver started everything.
A place full of memories.
And apparently...
Secrets.
Lucas arrived before sunset.
He parked far away.
He did not go inside immediately.
Because he had learned something.
Walking into a trap without preparation was how people lost.
He checked the area.
No guards.
No obvious cameras.
Too quiet.
Which meant there were probably cameras.
Lucas entered through a broken side door.
Inside, the factory was dark.
Dust covered the floor.
Machines sat abandoned.
But someone had been here recently.
There were footprints.
Fresh ones.
Lucas followed them.
Until he reached a small office.
The door was locked.
He opened it using an old key he found near the entrance.
Inside...
Everything stopped.
Because sitting on the desk was a photograph.
A photograph of his family.
His father.
His mother.
Lucas as a child.
But someone had drawn a black line across one face.
Richard.
Next to the photo was a handwritten note.
“The wrong brother survived.”
Lucas felt cold.
Wrong brother?
What did that mean?
Then he heard footsteps.
Behind him.
Lucas turned.
A man stood in the doorway.
Older.
Tired.
But familiar.
Lucas froze.
Because even after twelve years...
He knew that face.
He knew those eyes.
“Dad?”
The man stared at him.
Tears appeared.
“Lucas.”
The world seemed to stop.
It was him.
Not a recording.
Not a fake voice.
Thomas Weaver was standing in front of him.
Alive.
Older.
Changed.
But alive.
Lucas couldn’t move.
His entire childhood.
His entire grief.
Everything he believed...
Collapsed in one second.
“You’re alive.”
Thomas looked away.
“I am.”
Lucas’s voice shook.
“Why?”
That one word carried twelve years of pain.
“Why did you let me believe you were dead?”
Thomas closed his eyes.
“Because I thought it would keep you safe.”
Lucas stepped forward.
“Safe from what?”
Thomas looked at him.
“From your family.”
Silence.
“Richard?”
Thomas shook his head.
“Not just Richard.”
Lucas felt his heart sink.
“Who else?”
Thomas looked toward the door.
Then whispered:
“Someone you married.”
Lucas froze.
“Gwendolyn?”
Thomas nodded.
Lucas looked away.
Even though he already suspected it...
Hearing it from his father made it real.
“How did she know?”
“She didn’t.”
“What?”
“She found out later.”
Thomas walked toward the desk.
“Richard planned everything.”
“He used my company.”
“He stole money.”
“He created fake documents.”
“But he needed someone close to you.”
Lucas stared.
“And that was Gwendolyn.”
Thomas nodded.
“She was never chosen because she loved you.”
“She was chosen because she could control you.”
Those words hurt.
Because deep inside...
Lucas knew.
Thomas opened a drawer.
Inside was a folder.
“The reason I stayed hidden was because I needed proof.”
“Proof of what?”
“Everything.”
“Richard’s crimes.”
“The stolen assets.”
“The people helping him.”
“The fake medical records.”
Thomas looked at Lucas.
“But I was too late.”
Lucas frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“They discovered I was alive.”
“And when they did...”
“They took your mother.”
Lucas’s hands tightened.
“Where is she?”
Thomas looked at him.
“I know where they took her.”
“Then let’s go.”
Thomas shook his head.
“Not yet.”
Lucas stared.
“What do you mean not yet?”
“Because your mother is not the only prisoner.”
Lucas frowned.
“What?”
Thomas looked toward the old factory.
“Richard has been hiding someone here for years.”
Lucas felt confused.
“Who?”
Thomas’s face became serious.
“Someone who knows the entire truth.”
“Someone who can destroy Richard.”
Lucas waited.
Then Thomas said the name.
A name Lucas had never expected.
“Martin Caldwell.”
The family lawyer.
The man who signed the documents.
The man who had betrayed Florence.
Alive.
Hidden.
And apparently...
A victim too.
Lucas looked at his father.
“How many lies are there?”
Thomas looked at him sadly.
“Enough to destroy a family.”
Then he handed Lucas the folder.
“But also enough evidence to bring them down.”
Lucas opened it.
Inside was the final piece of the puzzle.
A photograph.
A contract.
And a signature.
A signature that proved the entire conspiracy began years before Lucas ever met Gwendolyn.
The signature belonged to someone who was supposed to protect his family.
Someone who had been trusted by everyone.
Someone who had been hiding the truth all along.
Martin Caldwell.
And suddenly Lucas realized something terrifying.
Maybe the biggest enemy was never the person trying to steal the Weaver fortune.
May you like
Maybe it was the person who had been helping everyone believe the lie.
END OF CHAPTER 9
