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

Section 5

I rushed through the hallway, my heart pounding in my ears. The world around me blurred as I knocked frantically on my father's study door. “Dad! Let me in! We need to talk!”

Silence. Just the faint sound of his breathing behind the closed door. “Dad!” I shouted again, desperation creeping into my voice.

“I can’t talk right now,” Elias called back, his tone strained.

“You need to! I found something, something important!”

Finally, the door creaked open, just a crack. His eyes darted toward the photo resting on my palm. “What is that?”

“This was in the living room. Why is there a date on the back that doesn’t match our timeline?”

But his expression twisted, a mixture of anger and fear. “You shouldn’t be in here. You don’t understand.”

“What am I supposed to understand, Dad? That women disappear after dating you? That Maren is terrified?”

He stepped back, locking the door tighter. “Please, just drop it. It’s for your own good.”

I felt the chill of his words. What good could come from silence? I shoved the photo closer, my voice low but fierce. “You’re hiding something. You owe me the truth!”

He shook his head, shoulders tense. “You’re being paranoid. I’d never hurt anyone.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this. My fingers traced the edges of the photo, the delicate handwritten date haunting me. What could it mean?

Section 6

With resolve, I pushed the door open. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on. Who is this man?” I held the photo like a weapon, demanding answers.

Elias looked like he’d seen a ghost, his pallor draining the color from his face. “This is not what you think.”

“Then tell me what to think! Was Mom seeing someone else? Was this why she—”

“Enough!” He raised his voice, but I pressed on, pointing to the date on the back.

“This doesn’t add up, Dad! What did you do?” I was breathless, reality slanting into something darker.

“It’s not what you think, I’ve protected you, protected the family!” he yelled, his voice cracking.

The air felt electric with tension. “Protected me from what? The truth?”

Suddenly, I remembered Maren’s shaking voice when she’d first called. “I cannot explain this over the phone.” I took a step closer. “What if this all ties back to Mom?”

His eyes shifted, wavering. “You don’t know what you’re digging into. It’s dangerous.”

With a surge of clarity, I articulated the twisted truth. “The messages weren’t from you, were they? They were from her. Mom faked her death.”

Stunned silence enveloped us, his expression a mix of disbelief and sorrow. “What are you saying?”

“She’s been watching you, Dad! She did this to keep the scandal buried.”

My voice trembled. “Those women vanished because she was protecting you from discovering her secret.”

He sank into a chair, a weight visibly lifting yet crushing him all at once. “I never knew…”

“And now we’re trapped in her lies. The pact wasn’t just theirs; it was ours too.” I felt the devastating finality of the words.