Chapter 6: The Truth My Mother Buried
We found my mother in an abandoned church on the edge of the city.
The place looked forgotten.
Broken windows.
Old wooden benches.
Dust covering everything.
But somehow, it felt like the kind of place Renee would choose.
A place where nobody would think to look.
I ran inside before anyone could stop me.
“Mom!””
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then I heard a voice.
“Nia?””
I turned.
And there she was.
Older than the woman in the photograph.
Tired.
Afraid.
But alive.
My mother stood near the back of the church with tears running down her face.
I ran to her.
I didn’t care about the questions.
I didn’t care about the anger.
I just needed to know she was real.
She held me tightly.
“I’m sorry.””
Those were the first words she said.
Not hello.
Not I missed you.
I’m sorry.
And somehow, that broke me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
She pulled away.
Her hands held my face.
“Because I thought if you never knew, you could have a normal life.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Normal?””
My voice cracked.
“Mom, I spent my whole life wondering why my father didn’t want me.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“He did.””
“Then why wasn’t he there?””
“Because I thought he was dead.””
I looked at her.
“Then why didn’t you find out?””
Her face changed.
Like I had asked the one question she never wanted to answer.
“Because someone made sure we couldn’t.””
Malik stepped forward.
“Renee.””
She looked at him.
And everything stopped.
Twenty-seven years disappeared.
They stared at each other like two people seeing a miracle they weren’t prepared for.
“Malik…”
His voice broke.
“You were alive.””
She covered her mouth.
“I thought you were gone.””
“I thought you were gone.””
The pain between them was almost too much to watch.
Two people who loved each other.
Separated by a lie.
A lie created by someone else.
I stepped back.
Suddenly, I felt like I was watching a chapter of my life I was never supposed to read.
My mother wiped her tears.
“There’s something both of you need to know.””
Malik’s expression hardened.
“What?””
Renee looked at me.
Then at him.
“The fire wasn’t the first attempt.””
Silence.
“What?”” I whispered.
She sat down slowly.
“Derrick tried to convince Malik that someone inside his organization was betraying him.””
Malik nodded.
“I remember.””
“He used that fear to isolate you.””
Malik’s face changed.
Renee continued.
“Then he found out I was pregnant.””
She looked at me.
“He didn’t want a child connected to Malik.””
“Why?””
She looked at Malik.
“Because Derrick believed the company should have been his.””
Malik went still.
Renee continued.
“He thought if Malik lost everything, he could take control.””
I felt my stomach twist.
“So he tried to kill me?””
“No.””
Her voice shook.
“He tried to erase you.””
The words were heavier than I expected.
My mother reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope.
“I kept this because I knew someday you would need it.””
She handed it to Malik.
Inside was a document.
A contract.
A signature.
Derrick Vale.
Malik read it.
His face became unreadable.
“What is this?””
“The agreement that started everything.””
I looked between them.
“What agreement?””
Renee whispered:
“The one where Derrick planned to take control of Malik’s entire empire if Malik disappeared.””
A silence filled the church.
Then Malik looked up.
His eyes were no longer filled with sadness.
They were filled with something colder.
Determination.
“He didn’t just try to kill my family.””
Renee shook her head.
“No.””
Malik folded the paper.
“He tried to steal my life.””
Before anyone could respond, the sound of a car door closing echoed outside.
Everyone froze.
Security moved instantly.
Malik looked toward the entrance.
Then at Renee.
“How did they find us?””
My mother’s face turned pale.
Because she already knew.
She looked at me.
“I told you not to trust anybody.””
The church doors slowly opened.
And a familiar voice filled the room.
“I’m sorry, Malik.””
We turned.
A man stepped inside.
The same man from the photograph.
The same man who had been standing beside my mother twenty-seven years ago.
Derrick Vale.
He smiled.
But there was no warmth in it.
Only confidence.
“I really hoped we could have handled this before you found her.””
Malik stepped in front of me.
And for the first time, I saw why people feared him.
Not because of his money.
Not because of his name.
May you like
Because when someone threatened his family…
he became someone else entirely.
