Chapter 44 The Past Unfold
DAVID
“You heard me right, David. I think he killed your father.” Her voice wavered, cracking under the weight of words she’d clearly been holding onto for years.
My grip on the phone tightened. “Mom… what are you saying? Why would you even think that?”
“This isn’t something I can explain over the phone,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Come to the house. I’ll tell you everything then.”
The line went dead before I could ask anything else.
I stood frozen for a moment, the words circling my mind like vultures. He killed your father. The idea seemed ridiculous, impossible even. Yet, as I replayed my mother’s trembling voice, I felt something stir inside me fear? Anger? Questions. Too many questions.
“Take me to my mother’s house,” I said to the driver, sliding into the back seat of the car.
The drive felt endless, Grandpa’s words ‘You’re just like your father’ echoing in my mind. Why now? Why was my father’s name suddenly everywhere?
“Boss, we’re here,” my driver said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I stepped out, the air heavier than it should have been. One of my mom’s servants approached, bowing slightly.
“Sir, ma’am is waiting for you in the garden,” she said softly, gesturing toward the back.
The sight of my mom sitting alone in the garden sent a chill down my spine. She didn’t look like the strong woman I grew up with. Her hands clutched her lap, her posture stiff. As I approached, her eyes flicked to mine haunted, as if she’d been reliving something terrible.
I sat beside her, the crunch of the gravel beneath my feet the only sound for a moment. She reached for my hand, her grip tighter than usual. Her lips trembled, as though the words she wanted to say had claws, dragging at her throat.
“Mom,” I said gently. “I’m here. Just tell me.”
She inhaled deeply, her shoulders rising and falling as if bracing for impact. “Promise me you won’t hate me for this,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Why would I hate you?” I squeezed her hand. “Just say it.”
She looked away, her gaze drifting to the roses blooming nearby. “Your father and I… we grew up together. You know that. But what you don’t know is that Roy was part of that too. The three of us were inseparable.” Her lips twitched into a ghost of a smile, but it quickly vanished. “Roy… he asked me out.”
She glanced at me, studying my face, but I kept my expression neutral, unwilling to give her anything to latch onto. She exhaled and continued.
“I kept it from your dad because I knew he loved me. But he never said anything, so I thought… maybe I was imagining it.” Her voice softened, the memory seeming to pull her back. “Roy and I dated in secret. Then, one day, he told me he had to leave to take over his father’s company. He needed to prove himself.”
She paused, her fingers twisting together. “Your dad and I saw him off at the airport. And then… nothing. No calls. No letters. Weeks turned into months. I thought maybe something had happened to him. Then I saw it in the news he was getting married.” Her voice broke on the last word.
The bitterness in her tone made my chest tighten. I stayed silent, letting her continue.
“I was devastated. But your father he never left my side. Even when he found out about Roy, he stayed. He helped me pick up the pieces.” She smiled faintly. “Eventually, I fell for him. We got married, and we had you.”
Her expression darkened again. “Years later, Roy came back. He had children, a family, but he acted like nothing had changed. He tried to approach me, but I shut him down. Your father warned him to stay away, but Roy…” Her voice dropped, trembling with emotion. “Roy said, ‘If I can’t have her, no one will.’”
I froze, her words slicing through the air like a blade.
“Your father thought he didn’t mean it. They even became friends again.” Her voice turned bitter. “And then one day, your father went to a business meeting with Roy… and he never came back. They said it was an accident, but I don’t believe that. I’ve never believed it.”
Her hand trembled in mine. Tears slid down her cheeks as she looked at me, pleading. “I tried to investigate, but your grandfather wouldn’t let me. He said it was for my own good. But David, I know Roy had something to do with it. I know it.”
A sharp, burning anger surged through me, spreading like wildfire. My jaw tightened, my fists clenching. “Grandpa knew something. And now Roy…” I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing.
The truth was somewhere, buried beneath years of secrets and lies. And I was going to find it no matter what it took.