Chapter 6: The Man Who Raised Me
Marcus could not hear the rain anymore.
He could not hear the wind.
He could not hear anything except the sentence that had destroyed the foundation of his entire life.
*Your father was planning to erase you from the Reed family forever.*
He looked at Richard.
The man who taught him how to ride a bicycle.
The man who sat beside his hospital bed when he had pneumonia.
The man who told him that family was the only thing in the world that mattered.
Now that same man stood across the room, surrounded by secrets.
Marcus’s voice came out low.
“Is it true?””
Richard didn’t answer.
That was the worst answer possible.
Marcus stepped closer.
“Dad.””
Richard looked at him.
For a moment, Marcus saw the old version of him.
The father from his childhood.
The man who carried him home after he fell asleep on the couch.
The man who made pancakes every Sunday morning.
Then that image disappeared.
Because the man standing in front of him had spent twenty years letting Marcus believe his mother abandoned him.
“Tell me Victor is lying.””
Richard’s face remained still.
“I can explain.””
Marcus laughed quietly.
“No.””
He shook his head.
“That’s what people say when the truth is worse.””
Elena moved closer.
“Marcus, listen.””
He looked at her.
“You knew.””
Her eyes filled with pain.
“I knew part of it.””
“Part?””
“I knew Richard was hiding something.””
Marcus looked around the room.
“Everyone knew something.””
His voice cracked.
“Everyone except me.””
Nobody spoke.
The silence felt like an admission.
Marcus turned toward Victor.
“You said my mother disappeared because she was trying to save me.””
Victor nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then why did you help her?””
Victor looked at Richard.
“Because I realized too late what Richard had become.””
Richard’s expression hardened.
“Careful.””
Victor ignored him.
“Your father and I built companies together. We made money together. We expanded together.””
He paused.
“But then Richard stopped seeing people as people.””
Marcus looked at Richard.
“Is that true?””
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“You have no idea what happened.””
“Then tell me.””
Richard looked at his son.
“Do you really want the truth?””
Marcus answered immediately.
“Yes.””
Richard sighed.
“Fine.””
He walked toward the table and placed his hands on the wooden surface.
“When Elena discovered the documents, she thought I was planning something against you.””
Marcus looked confused.
“You weren’t?””
Richard looked at Elena.
“No.””
Elena’s face changed.
Richard continued.
“I was trying to protect him.””
Marcus almost laughed.
“By hiding my identity?””
“By keeping you alive.””
The words stopped him.
Richard looked at him.
“You think I don’t know what Victor is capable of?””
Victor’s expression changed.
“Don’t do this.””
Richard ignored him.
“He’s not the innocent man he wants you to believe.””
Marcus looked at Victor.
Victor remained silent.
Richard continued.
“Your mother found out she was pregnant after a brief relationship with Victor.””
Elena closed her eyes.
Marcus looked at her.
“I was born…”
“Yes,” Richard said.
“You were born before Elena and I married.””
The words hurt.
Not because of who his biological father was.
Because of how many people had known.
How many people had looked at him every day while hiding the truth.
Richard continued.
“I loved you from the moment I met you.””
Marcus looked at him.
“Then why hide it?””
“Because Victor wanted you.””
Victor immediately shook his head.
“That’s not true.””
Richard turned.
“You wanted an heir.””
Victor’s face became cold.
“I wanted my son.””
“And you were willing to destroy everyone around him.””
Marcus looked between them.
“What are you talking about?””
Richard took a breath.
“Victor believed blood mattered more than anything.””
Victor said nothing.
Richard continued.
“He wanted you to be part of his world.””
“What world?””
“The world he built.””
Marcus stared.
“What does that mean?””
Victor stepped forward.
“Marcus, your father is leaving out the part where he stole my son from me.””
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
“I raised him.””
“You manipulated him.””
“I protected him.””
“You lied to him.””
The two men stared at each other.
And Marcus realized something terrifying.
Both of them believed they were right.
Elena suddenly spoke.
“Enough.””
Everyone looked at her.
She wiped her tears.
“The truth is that both of you failed him.””
The room went quiet.
Richard looked hurt.
Victor looked surprised.
Elena faced Marcus.
“I made mistakes.””
Her voice trembled.
“I should have told you everything.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Why didn’t you?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
She looked at Richard.
“Of what would happen if he knew.””
Marcus shook his head.
“I don’t understand.””
Elena walked to the fireplace.
She pulled out another small envelope.
“I found this after you disappeared.””
Marcus frowned.
“After I disappeared?””
She nodded.
“It was hidden in my old apartment.””
She handed it to him.
The envelope was yellow from age.
Marcus opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph of him as a baby.
He stared.
On the back was a handwritten note.
*He will be safer if he never knows who he belongs to.*
Marcus looked up.
“Who wrote this?””
Elena’s voice was barely audible.
“Richard.””
Everyone looked at him.
Richard didn’t deny it.
Marcus felt something break.
“You wrote this?””
Richard looked down.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Richard closed his eyes.
“Because I knew Victor would come for you.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You don’t get to call this protection.””
Richard looked at him.
“Marcus…”
“No.””
His voice became louder.
“You made a choice for me.””
Richard said nothing.
“You decided I couldn’t handle the truth.””
Marcus pointed at him.
“You took my mother away.””
Richard looked at Elena.
“She left.””
Elena immediately responded.
“Because you gave me no choice.””
The two stared at each other.
And Marcus saw something.
Not hatred.
History.
A pain that went deeper than he understood.
Richard spoke quietly.
“That night, I told Elena she had to choose.””
Marcus looked confused.
“Choose what?””
Richard looked at Elena.
“Whether she wanted to expose everything or protect you.””
Elena’s eyes filled with tears.
“And you threatened me.””
Richard’s face changed.
“I warned you.””
“You told me if I went public, Marcus would lose everything.””
Marcus froze.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody answered.
Finally, Victor spoke.
“It means your father knew something about your future.””
Marcus turned.
“What?””
Victor looked at him.
“When you were a baby, your mother discovered something unusual.””
Marcus felt exhausted.
“Again with this?””
Victor stepped closer.
“No. This is the part nobody told you.””
He reached into his coat.
He pulled out a small folder.
“I spent twenty years trying to find this.””
Marcus stared.
“What is it?””
Victor handed it over.
Inside was a medical report.
Marcus read the first page.
Then stopped.
His face changed.
“What is this?””
Richard looked away.
Elena started crying.
Victor answered.
“The reason Richard was afraid of you.””
Marcus continued reading.
The words blurred.
There was a genetic marker.
A rare one.
A marker connected to a research program.
A program that had nothing to do with business.
“What am I looking at?””
Victor’s voice became quiet.
“You were born with something valuable.””
Marcus looked up.
“I’m not a product.””
“No.””
Victor shook his head.
“You’re a person.””
“Then why does everyone keep talking about me like I’m something to own?””
Nobody answered.
Because they all knew.
That was the truth.
Marcus looked at Richard.
“Did you know about this?””
Richard nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“Since you were a baby.””
Marcus stepped back.
The room spun.
Twenty years.
Twenty years of missing pieces.
Twenty years of being protected by lies.
“I need to leave.””
Elena reached for him.
“Marcus.””
He stopped at the door.
He wanted to turn around.
He wanted answers.
But he had too many.
And none of them made sense.
Before he opened the door, Richard spoke.
“Your mother is not telling you everything.””
Marcus froze.
Richard continued.
“There’s one thing even she doesn’t know.””
Marcus looked back.
“What?””
Richard’s expression was painful.
“The night Elena disappeared…”
A pause.
“She wasn’t the only person who vanished.””
Marcus waited.
Richard looked directly at him.
“The man who knew the truth about your birth was murdered.””
Silence.
Victor’s face changed.
Because he knew exactly who Richard was talking about.
Marcus noticed.
“Who?””
Richard answered.
“Your grandfather.””
Marcus froze.
“My grandfather?””
Richard nodded.
“The man who left you everything.””
Marcus frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
Richard looked at the folder in Marcus’s hand.
“Read the final page.””
Marcus opened it.
At the bottom of the report was a signature.
A name he had never seen before.
But a name that changed everything.
Because beneath it was written:
*Authorized by: Thomas Reed.*
His grandfather.
A man who had supposedly died before Marcus was born.
May you like
And beneath the signature was a date.
Three years after his death.
