CHAPTER 6: THE SECRET MY FATHER BURIED
I read my father's letter eleven times.
Not because I couldn't understand the words.
Because I couldn't accept them.
Every sentence felt like a door opening into a room I was never supposed to enter.
The girl who became your best friend was never your enemy.
That sentence stayed with me.
Because it changed everything.
For days, I had been building a picture of Evelyn as someone who manipulated my life.
Someone who entered my world with a hidden purpose.
But my father was saying something different.
He was saying Evelyn had been protecting me.
And the worst part?
I didn't know who to believe anymore.
I sat alone at my kitchen table until sunrise.
The letter was in front of me.
My coffee had gone cold.
My phone showed twelve missed calls.
Eight from Claire.
Four from Evelyn.
I ignored all of them.
For the first time in ten years, I wanted silence.
No explanations.
No people telling me what was true.
Because everyone had a version of the story.
Evelyn had hers.
Claire had hers.
My mother had hers.
Even my dead father had one.
And somehow...
I was the only person who didn't know my own life.
The letter continued.
I had stopped reading after the first few paragraphs because I needed time.
Now I forced myself to continue.
Nathan,
If you are reading this, something has happened that made Evelyn believe hiding the truth was no longer possible.
I know you may feel betrayed. You may feel angry. You may believe everyone around you lied.
You have the right to feel that way.
But understand this: some secrets are not hidden because people want power. Some secrets are hidden because the truth can become a weapon in the wrong hands.
I paused.
A weapon.
That word appeared everywhere.
What was my family involved in?
My father continued:
When Victor Cross betrayed me, I thought losing my company was the worst thing that could happen. I was wrong.
The worst thing was discovering that Victor was not acting alone.
My heart tightened.
Not acting alone.
There were people above him. People with more money, more influence, and fewer limits.
I looked at the page.
They wanted the investigation destroyed. They wanted everyone connected to it silenced.
I stopped.
Silenced.
My father's words suddenly felt heavier.
I knew I couldn't protect you by keeping you close. I had to make sure someone would protect you even when I wasn't there.
Then came the sentence that changed everything.
That person was Evelyn.
I closed my eyes.
Evelyn.
The girl I thought had entered my life because of revenge.
The girl I thought was watching me because of my father.
Maybe she was.
But not for the reason I believed.
I remembered her face when I accused her.
The pain.
The fear.
Maybe it wasn't guilt.
Maybe it was the pain of knowing she had spent years protecting someone who now saw her as a threat.
My phone rang.
This time, I answered.
"Evelyn."
Silence.
Then:
"You're reading it."
Her voice was quiet.
"How do you know?"
"Because your father gave you that letter for a reason."
I looked at the envelope.
"You knew about it?"
"Yes."
"How long?"
Another pause.
"Ten years."
I laughed.
But there was no humor in it.
"Of course."
"Nathan..."
"You knew about the letter."
"Yes."
"You knew about my father and Victor."
"Yes."
"You knew everything."
"No."
Her answer was immediate.
I stopped.
"No?"
"There are things I still don't know."
That surprised me.
"Evelyn Cross doesn't know something?"
A small, sad laugh came through the phone.
"Believe it or not, Nathan, I'm not as powerful as you think."
I looked at the letter.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because your father asked me not to."
"He asked you to lie to me?"
"No."
Her voice became softer.
"He asked me to let you have a normal life."
I didn't answer.
"Nathan, do you know what your father said to me the last time I saw him?"
"No."
"He said, 'My son deserves to know what happiness feels like before he learns how cruel the world can be.'"
My throat tightened.
That sounded exactly like him.
"Then why did you ruin my relationship with Claire?"
The question had been waiting.
Evelyn became quiet.
Finally:
"Because Claire was dangerous."
I stood.
"Don't."
"I'm not lying."
"That's what you always say."
"Nathan."
Her voice changed.
Serious.
"Did Claire tell you why she contacted Emily?"
I froze.
"What?"
"Did she?"
"She said Emily reached out to her."
"That's not true."
My hand tightened around the phone.
"How do you know?"
"Because Emily told me."
"What?"
"Emily contacted me first."
The room went silent.
"What did she say?"
Evelyn took a breath.
"She said Claire was asking questions about your family."
My stomach dropped.
"What kind of questions?"
"About your father's investigation."
I stared at the letter.
"Why would Claire care?"
"I don't know."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"No."
Her honesty surprised me.
"I expect you to investigate."
That was the old Evelyn.
The one who always pushed me to look deeper.
I met Evelyn that afternoon.
Not at our usual coffee shop.
Somewhere neutral.
A public park.
Somewhere neither of us could hide behind memories.
She arrived five minutes early.
Of course she did.
She always arrived early.
Always prepared.
Always ready.
But today, she looked different.
Not like the Evelyn everyone admired.
Not the confident woman who could walk into any room and control it.
Today she looked tired.
Human.
"You look exhausted," I said.
She smiled faintly.
"You always notice that."
"I learned from you."
That hurt her.
I saw it.
Good.
Part of me wanted her to hurt.
Because I had hurt.
For days.
Maybe years.
"Tell me about Claire."
Evelyn looked away.
"I don't know if I should."
"Why?"
"Because if I'm wrong, I destroy the last person who matters to you."
The answer caught me.
"You care about her?"
"Yes."
That surprised me.
"Even after everything?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Evelyn looked at me.
"Because anyone who truly loves you would want you safe."
The words hit harder than they should have.
"Did you love me?"
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Evelyn froze.
For a moment...
The world seemed to stop.
Then she looked down.
"I don't know."
That answer hurt more than yes or no.
"I spent ten years trying to be your friend because that was what your father asked me to be."
She swallowed.
"But somewhere along the way..."
Her voice became quieter.
"I forgot where the mission ended and where my feelings began."
I didn't know what to say.
Because for the first time...
Evelyn wasn't explaining.
She was confessing.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From Claire.
Nathan, please answer me. I know what Evelyn told you.
Then another message appeared.
But she didn't tell you the most important part.
My heart sank.
A photo followed.
It was a picture of Evelyn.
Taken recently.
She was entering a building.
A private office.
The name on the sign made my blood freeze.
Cross Holdings International.
But that wasn't the shocking part.
The shocking part was the person walking beside her.
A man.
Older.
Gray hair.
Alive.
A man everyone believed had disappeared ten years ago.
Victor Cross.
Evelyn's father.
I looked at Evelyn.
She saw the photo.
And for the first time...
She looked afraid.
Not worried.
Not cautious.
Terrified.
"Nathan..."
I stood.
"Your father is alive."
Evelyn didn't deny it.
And that was the moment I understood.
The biggest secret wasn't that Evelyn knew my family.
It wasn't that my father trusted her.
It wasn't even that she had hidden the truth from me.
The biggest secret was this:
Victor Cross had returned.
And Evelyn had been meeting him.
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End of Chapter 6
Chapter 7: The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead sẽ tiếp tục với việc Nathan đối mặt với Victor Cross, khám phá lý do ông ta biến mất 10 năm và sự thật rằng Evelyn có thể đang che giấu một kế hoạch khác.**
