I Asked My Best Friend to Date My Dad, But What She Discovered Changed Everything We Knew

Confronting My Father

“I don’t understand,” my father, Elias, said, his voice trembling. “They all seemed happy.”

His eyes, usually so full of warmth, looked lost and bewildered. A heart made of glass, shattering with every vanished date. “I would never do anything to hurt anyone.”

“But they’re gone, Dad! They just… disappear!” I stared at him, trying to gauge if he was hiding something. The candlelight flickered between us, casting eerie shadows that mirrored my doubts.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture of unease that felt painfully familiar. “You think I’m doing something?”

“I don’t know what to think.” I sighed, frustration bubbling to the surface. “I just need to find out the truth.”

His phone buzzed on the table, but he ignored it. Instead, he looked at me, pleading for trust. “You’re my daughter. You know me.”

Do I? I leaned back, heart pounding as the weight of his words echoed in the silence. “I’m going to gather more information about the last woman, Maren. Maybe she can help me understand.”

Searching for Clues

The Bellmere Café smelled of fresh coffee and pastries, inviting yet suffocating as I stepped inside. I approached the counter, my heart racing. “Hi, I’m looking for information about a woman who dated Elias. Her name was Maren.”

The barista’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Maren! She was here not long ago.” A smile played on her lips. “You should’ve seen her. She was laughing, really enjoying her time with your dad.”

“Did she seem… different?” I asked, fighting the urge to press for more, to unravel this tangled mystery.

“No, not at all. She seemed so happy. They were even joking!”

As I left the café, my chest felt tight, hope mingling with dread. What had happened to her? I glanced back at the café, memories of Maren’s laugh still echoing in my mind.

Suddenly, a figure stepped into my path. “You should stay away from him,” the stranger warned, their voice low and gravelly. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“Who are you?” I demanded, feeling a chill race down my spine.

“Just someone who knows about your father’s past. Trust me, it’s not safe.” The stranger’s eyes flickered with urgency before they melted back into the crowd.

Shaking, I pulled out my phone to text Maren, but a notification pulled my attention. A chilling text from an unknown number glowed on the screen: ‘Stay out of it, or you’ll regret it.’