CHAPTER 15 The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
CHAPTER 15 The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The security footage played again.
And again.
Adrian Westwood watched the screen without blinking.
He wanted his eyes to be wrong.
He wanted his mind to be searching for a reasonable explanation.
A mistake.
A reflection.
A stranger who looked similar.
Anything.
But the face on the screen remained the same.
Victor Westwood.
His father.
The man buried two years ago.
The man whose funeral Adrian attended.
The man whose death certificate existed.
The man who could not possibly be standing inside Claire’s bedroom.
Nobody spoke.
The entire security room felt frozen.
Natalie slowly stepped closer to the monitor.
“That’s impossible.”
Adrian did not answer.
Because impossible was no longer a word that meant anything.
Not after the last few days.
A hidden closet.
A missing wedding ring.
A secret child.
A fake accident.
A dead man’s phone call.
And now…
A dead man appearing on camera.
Detective Reed stared at the footage.
“Are you absolutely certain that is your father?”
Adrian looked at him.
“I know my father.”
The detective nodded slowly.
“Then we need to figure out how.”
Adrian watched the video again.
Victor entered the mansion calmly.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Like he belonged there.
But that was impossible.
The camera showed Emily walking beside him.
Emily.
The woman who disappeared after Claire’s death.
The woman who claimed she wanted to tell the truth.
The woman who knew about Lily.
Adrian’s mind raced.
“Find Emily.”
Detective Reed immediately looked at him.
“We already tried.”
“And?”
“She’s gone.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“Gone?”
“The apartment was empty when our officers returned.”
Natalie looked shocked.
“She knew we would come.”
Adrian nodded.
“She was never trying to hide.”
A pause.
“She was trying to lead us somewhere.”
Inside Claire’s bedroom, Adrian stood beside the closet again.
The place where everything started.
He looked at the hidden compartment.
The secret space.
The place where Claire stored the truth.
He touched the wooden panel.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His voice was quiet.
Not angry.
Just broken.
“Why did you have to carry all of this alone?”
For a moment, he imagined Claire standing there.
Telling him everything.
Warning him.
Holding his hand.
Then reality returned.
A small sound interrupted him.
A phone vibrating.
Adrian turned.
The sound came from inside the closet.
He searched carefully.
Behind a row of Claire’s old dresses, he found a small device.
A hidden phone.
His heart started racing.
The screen turned on.
One message.
From Claire.
The date was three years old.
The day before her death.
Adrian opened it.
The message was short.
“If Adrian finds this, it means I failed.”
His hands trembled.
He continued reading.
“I need him to know the truth, but I cannot risk telling him directly.”
A pause.
“Someone close to us is watching everything.”
Adrian looked around the room.
Then another message appeared.
“The person responsible is not the one you suspect.”
Another line appeared.
“It is the person who taught me to trust them.”
Adrian stopped.
A person who taught Claire to trust them.
His mind searched through everyone.
Madison.
Caleb.
Margaret.
Daniel.
Emily.
Victor.
Then the final message loaded.
A video file.
Created moments before Claire’s death.
Adrian pressed play.
The screen showed Claire sitting inside her car.
Her face was pale.
But she was alive.
She looked directly into the camera.
“Adrian.”
Hearing her voice again almost destroyed him.
“If you are watching this…”
She took a shaky breath.
“I am sorry.”
Adrian covered his mouth.
Claire continued.
“I wanted to tell you everything.”
She looked away.
“But I realized the person I feared was not someone outside our family.”
A pause.
“The person I feared was someone I invited into our home.”
Adrian leaned closer.
Claire’s eyes filled with tears.
“Adrian, please understand…”
Another pause.
“I did not die because I discovered Caleb’s secret.”
Adrian froze.
“Then why?”
Claire looked directly into the camera.
“I discovered who Caleb was protecting.”
The video glitched.
For a moment, the screen went black.
Then Claire appeared again.
Her voice became urgent.
“The person behind everything…”
The sound broke.
Static filled the room.
Adrian leaned closer.
“Claire…”
Then her final words came through.
Barely audible.
But clear enough.
“Your father is alive.”
The video ended.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because Claire’s final secret was not a confession.
It was a warning.
Hours later, Adrian sat alone in his office.
The lights were off.
The city outside was quiet.
But his world had changed forever.
His father was alive.
Or someone wanted him to believe that.
The phone on his desk rang.
Unknown number.
Adrian answered immediately.
“Who are you?”
A familiar voice responded.
Older.
Calmer.
A voice he had heard in childhood.
“Adrian.”
His blood ran cold.
“Dad?”
A pause.
Then:
“You finally found the truth.”
Adrian gripped the phone.
“Where are you?”
“I have been closer than you think.”
“Why did you let me believe you were dead?”
Silence.
Then Victor answered:
“Because someone wanted me gone.”
Adrian’s breathing changed.
“Who?”
His father remained silent.
“Dad.”
Finally, Victor spoke.
“The same person who killed Claire.”
Adrian stood.
“Tell me who.”
A long pause.
Then Victor whispered:
“Your mother.”
The call ended.
Adrian stood frozen.
Because the final piece of the mystery had just appeared.
But instead of bringing peace…
It created the most terrifying question of all.
If Victor Westwood was alive…
Who was the man buried in his grave?
And if Margaret was responsible…
Why had she spent three years protecting Adrian?
The truth was finally coming out.
But the Westwood family was about to discover something even darker.
Sometimes…
The person hiding the truth is not the villain.
Sometimes…
They are the only person who knows how dangerous the truth really is.
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THE END OF PART ONE
TO BE CONTINUED…
