Chapter 9: The Truth My Father Buried
I stared at my father.
Not at the message.
Not at Adrian.
Not at the people surrounding me.
Only my father.
Because his face had already answered the question before he spoke.
He knew.
Whatever happened after Adrian Cole was declared dead…
My father knew.
“Dad.””
My voice barely worked.
He looked away.
That hurt more than anger.
More than fear.
More than anything else that had happened that morning.
Because I had spent my entire life believing my father was the one person who would never hide from me.
And now I was watching him do exactly that.
“Maya…”
“No.””
I stepped back.
“Don’t say my name.””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Please.””
“Please what?””
My voice rose.
“Please let you explain another secret?””
The chapel was silent.
Nobody moved.
My mother looked down.
Adrian looked between us.
Even the officers stopped pretending they weren’t listening.
I held up my phone.
“Who sent this?””
My father looked at the screen.
Then at Adrian.
“That message wasn’t supposed to come.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“Why?””
Because that was the wrong answer.
The wrong kind of answer.
Not denial.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
“You know who sent it.””
My father didn’t respond.
“Dad.””
His shoulders lowered.
“Yes.””
The word broke something inside me.
I closed my eyes.
“How many more times?””
He looked at me.
“How many more times were you going to let me live a life built on things you knew?””
“Maya, I was trying to—”
“Protect me?””
I interrupted.
The word hung between us.
My father stopped.
Because he knew.
He knew I was tired of hearing it.
“I spent seven years believing Adrian was the mystery.””
I looked at the folder’s empty space.
“I thought he was the person with secrets.””
Then I looked at him.
“But you were.””
My father swallowed.
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
And somehow that hurt even more.
Adrian stepped closer.
“Maya.””
I looked at him.
“No.””
He stopped.
“I need to hear this from him.””
My father nodded.
“You deserve that.””
He walked toward the front of the chapel.
Toward the altar where I was supposed to make promises.
Instead, he stood there carrying the weight of the one promise he broke.
“When Adrian disappeared, I was ordered to let him stay dead.””
I frowned.
“Ordered?””
“Yes.””
“By who?””
My father’s expression darkened.
“People who believed the truth was more dangerous than the lie.””
Daniel’s words echoed in my mind.
Protecting themselves.
Not me.
“What did you do?””
My father looked at the floor.
“I disobeyed.””
The room went quiet.
“You what?””
“I kept searching.””
“For Adrian?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you tell everyone he was dead?””
My father looked at me.
“Because officially, he was.””
“That doesn’t answer my question.””
His voice softened.
“Because someone was watching me.””
I froze.
“Watching you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because they knew I cared about him.””
I looked at Adrian.
My father continued.
“And they knew I would do anything to find out who betrayed us.””
I crossed my arms.
“So what happened?””
My father took a slow breath.
“After the operation, I found Adrian alive.””
Adrian looked down.
I stared.
“You found him?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Three days after the explosion.””
My heart raced.
“Three days?””
My father nodded.
“He was injured. Confused. And he had no idea who he could trust.””
I looked at Adrian.
“You lost your memory too?””
“Not completely.””
His voice was quiet.
“But I lost pieces of it.””
I looked at him.
“Like me.””
He nodded.
“Yes.””
That realization hit differently.
We had both lost parts of the same night.
Parts someone had taken from us.
My father continued.
“I found Adrian before anyone else did.””
“And you hid him.””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
My father hesitated.
That hesitation made me angry.
“Where?””
“At a safe location.””
“Where?””
“Maya.””
“Where?””
He finally answered.
“At a property owned by your grandparents.””
I froze.
“My grandparents?””
“Yes.””
I stared.
“Why?””
“Because nobody would think to look there.””
I laughed quietly.
“So while I was grieving someone I thought was dead…”
My voice cracked.
“You knew he was alive.””
My father closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
I turned away.
The betrayal was too heavy.
My father wasn’t just hiding information.
He was controlling my reality.
“Did Mom know?””
Silence.
I looked at my mother.
She started crying.
“Yes.””
I felt numb.
“Both of you.””
“Maya…”
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I don’t want another explanation.””
My mother stepped forward.
“We were trying to keep you safe.””
I looked at her.
“You let me believe I lost someone who was alive.””
She covered her mouth.
“I’m sorry.””
I looked at Adrian.
“Did you know?””
His eyes filled.
“No.””
The answer surprised me.
“No?””
“I didn’t know your parents were hiding that from you.””
“But you knew you were alive.””
“Yes.””
“And you still came into my life.””
He nodded.
“I didn’t know if I deserved to.””
I stared.
“Then why?””
He looked at the aisle.
At the place where I was supposed to walk toward him.
“Because after I recovered, I tried to disappear.””
He paused.
“But I couldn’t.””
“Why?””
His eyes met mine.
“Because I remembered you.””
The room became quiet.
“I remembered a girl who saved me before she even knew me.””
My breath caught.
“What?””
“You found me that night.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“You were the one who called for help.””
I looked at my father.
He nodded.
“It’s true.””
“But I don’t remember.””
“I know.””
Adrian continued.
“You stayed with me until help arrived.””
My eyes filled.
“You don’t remember because of the injury.””
I touched my forehead.
The flashes returned.
The door.
The explosion.
A man on the ground.
My hand holding someone’s.
“Adrian.””
He nodded.
“Yes.””
I whispered:
“I knew you.””
A tear fell from his eye.
“Yes.””
My father looked down.
“And after that night, I made the hardest decision of my life.””
“What?””
He looked at me.
“I erased you from the investigation.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Your name. Your connection. Everything.””
“Why?””
“Because someone was looking for you.””
I shook my head.
“But you knew.””
“Yes.””
“You knew I was involved.””
“Yes.””
“And you still let me forget.””
My father’s face broke.
“I thought forgetting was better than living in fear.””
I stared at him.
“You took my choice.””
The words hit harder than anything else.
My father looked like he finally understood.
“I know.””
“No.””
I wiped my tears.
“You don’t.””
I looked at Adrian.
Then at my father.
“You both decided what I could handle.””
Nobody argued.
Because it was true.
A sudden sound interrupted us.
A phone ringing.
Not mine.
Not my father’s.
Adrian’s.
He looked confused.
“My phone was dead.””
Everyone stared.
He pulled it out.
The screen showed an unknown number.
My father immediately became alert.
“Don’t answer.””
Adrian looked at him.
“Why?””
Because my father looked terrified.
“Because whoever has that number knows where you are.””
The phone continued ringing.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then Adrian answered.
Nobody spoke.
He put it on speaker.
A distorted voice came through.
“Adrian Cole.””
Adrian’s face changed.
The voice continued.
“You finally found the file.””
My father stepped closer.
“Who is this?””
The voice ignored him.
“Do you know what your mistake was?””
Silence.
The voice became colder.
“You thought the girl who saved you was the witness.””
My blood turned cold.
“What?””
Adrian looked at me.
The voice continued.
“She wasn’t the witness.””
A pause.
“She was the reason the operation failed.””
My father went pale.
“No.””
The voice laughed softly.
“And Marcus…”
Everyone froze.
The speaker said my father’s name.
“You were never protecting Maya from us.””
A pause.
“You were protecting her from what she did.””
The call ended.
Nobody moved.
I looked at my father.
My voice trembled.
“What did I do?””
My father looked completely broken.
May you like
And for the first time all day…
He didn’t have an answer.
