Chapter 9: The Truth Behind Derrick’s Betrayal
The recording continued playing.
My father’s voice filled the empty house.
A voice from the past.
A voice I had spent years wishing I could hear again.
And now every word was breaking something inside me.
*“He was sent to kill me.””*
I stared at the doorway.
Derrick was gone.
The man who had followed us.
The man who had cried.
The man who claimed he had been trying to protect me.
Gone.
My first thought was betrayal.
My second thought was fear.
My third thought was that maybe my father had been right all along.
Bear picked up the recording device and stopped it.
“Ava.””
I stepped away from him.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“I know what you’re thinking.””
“Do you?””
My voice shook.
“Because I don’t even know what I’m thinking.””
I looked at the photograph in my hand.
Derrick beside my father.
Both of them alive.
Both of them hiding something.
“I trusted him.””
Bear stayed silent.
“I defended him.””
My eyes filled.
“I spent years thinking everyone else was wrong about him.””
The pain in my chest felt unbearable.
“And I was wrong.””
Bear shook his head.
“Not completely.””
I looked at him.
“How can you say that?””
“Because your father’s message wasn’t finished.””
I froze.
“What?””
Bear looked at the device.
“The recording cut off.””
I looked down.
The battery light was blinking.
A tiny red signal.
“He recorded more?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did it stop?””
Bear examined it.
“Because someone interrupted it.””
My stomach tightened.
“Someone?””
Before he could answer, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Not outside.
Inside.
We both turned.
Bear moved instantly.
He pushed me behind him.
A shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.
For one terrifying second, I thought it was Marcus.
Then the person stepped into the light.
Derrick.
My anger returned immediately.
“You.””
He stopped.
His face was bruised.
His jacket torn.
Like he had been in a fight.
Bear’s hand tightened.
“Where were you?””
Derrick looked at me.
Not Bear.
Me.
“I heard the recording.””
I stared.
“You heard it?””
He nodded.
“And I knew you’d think the worst.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Because you deserve the worst.””
He accepted that.
“I know.””
The answer surprised me.
Again.
I hated that it surprised me.
“You were sent to kill my father.””
Derrick closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
The word destroyed whatever hope I had left.
Bear watched him carefully.
“Explain.””
Derrick looked at the floor.
“Marcus gave me an order.””
I felt cold.
“An order?””
He nodded.
“When I first met Ava, I wasn’t supposed to get close to her.””
“Then why did you?””
His eyes moved toward me.
“Because I saw her.””
That wasn’t enough.
Not anymore.
“I saw someone who had no idea what was coming.””
His voice broke slightly.
“And I couldn’t do it.””
Bear’s expression remained hard.
“You failed the mission.””
“Yes.””
“So Marcus threatened you.””
“Yes.””
“And you stayed with her anyway.””
Derrick nodded.
“I thought I could protect her from him.””
I stepped forward.
“You thought?””
He looked at me.
“I made mistakes.””
“No.””
My voice became stronger.
“You made choices.””
He looked down.
“Yes.””
That honesty hurt.
Because I wanted him to lie.
I wanted him to give me a reason to hate him completely.
But he wouldn’t.
Not anymore.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
His face twisted with pain.
“Because every time I tried…”
He stopped.
“Every time I tried, I saw what would happen.””
“What?””
“Marcus would come after you.””
I shook my head.
“So you decided hurting me was better?””
“No.””
His voice cracked.
“I decided keeping you alive was more important than letting you love me.””
Silence.
The sentence was awful.
Because part of me understood.
And I hated that.
Bear looked at Derrick.
“You should have trusted her with the truth.””
“I know.””
“You should have given her a choice.””
“I know.””
“You became the thing you were trying to stop.””
Derrick closed his eyes.
“I know.””
Nobody spoke.
Because Bear was right.
And Derrick knew it.
The front door suddenly opened.
Slowly.
Nobody moved.
Then Marcus walked inside.
Clapping.
Slow.
Mocking.
“Well done.””
My blood ran cold.
Bear turned.
“Marcus.””
Marcus smiled.
“I have to admit.””
He looked around the room.
“This is nostalgic.””
His eyes moved to the piano.
“The place where Samuel thought he could hide everything.””
Bear stepped forward.
“You followed us.””
Marcus smiled.
“Of course.””
He looked at me.
“You really thought I’d let you find the truth without me?””
I felt anger replace fear.
“You lied to everyone.””
Marcus shrugged.
“I told everyone exactly what they wanted to hear.””
He looked at Derrick.
“Especially him.””
Derrick’s face hardened.
“You used me.””
Marcus laughed.
“No.””
He walked closer.
“I gave you purpose.””
Derrick clenched his fists.
“You destroyed my life.””
Marcus smiled.
“No.””
He pointed at him.
“You did that when you decided you were better than me.””
The words hit Derrick.
Because they were designed to.
Marcus was good at finding wounds.
And pressing them.
Bear stepped between them.
“Enough.””
Marcus looked amused.
“You always were dramatic.””
Then he looked at me.
“Your father was worse.””
My jaw tightened.
“Don’t talk about him.””
Marcus smiled.
“You think Samuel was a hero?””
“I know he tried to stop you.””
Marcus laughed.
“After helping me build everything.””
I looked away.
Because that part hurt.
Even if my father changed.
Even if he tried to fix things.
The truth was still ugly.
Marcus noticed.
“Your father and I were the same.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
He smiled.
“The difference was he wanted forgiveness.””
A pause.
“I wanted control.””
The honesty was disturbing.
Because Marcus didn’t deny anything.
He was proud.
Bear moved closer.
“You’re finished.””
Marcus laughed.
“Am I?””
He reached into his coat.
This time, everyone reacted.
Bear moved.
Derrick moved.
But Marcus didn’t pull out a weapon.
He pulled out a small envelope.
And threw it toward me.
I caught it.
My name was written on it.
Again.
My father’s handwriting.
Another message.
Marcus smiled.
“Open it.””
Bear shook his head.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
His face was serious.
“Because I know what it is.””
Marcus smiled.
“Tell her.””
Bear didn’t.
Marcus answered.
“It’s the reason your father died.””
My fingers froze around the envelope.
I looked at Bear.
“Is that true?””
His silence was enough.
I opened it.
Inside was one sentence.
Only one.
But it changed everything.
*Ava, if Marcus shows you this letter, then he wants you to believe he killed me.*
I looked up.
Marcus’s smile faded.
The letter continued.
*But the truth is much worse.*
My heart pounded.
*The person who ended my life was someone who loved you.*
The room went silent.
I slowly lowered the paper.
Everyone was staring.
Bear.
Derrick.
Marcus.
And then I noticed something.
Marcus wasn’t smiling anymore.
He looked afraid.
Not of Bear.
Not of the police.
Of the letter.
Because he knew what came next.
I turned the page.
There was one final sentence.
*Ava, the person who betrayed me was the person you trusted most.*
My eyes moved across the room.
And stopped.
Because the answer wasn’t Marcus.
It wasn’t Derrick.
It was someone else.
Someone who had been protecting me since the beginning.
May you like
Someone standing only a few feet away.
Bear.
