Chapter 6: The Voice From The Grave
For ten seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The voice on the phone belonged to a man who had been buried beneath a marble stone for ten years.
My father.
Richard Vale.
The man who taught me how to negotiate before I learned how to drive.
The man who held my hand when my mother died.
The man whose portrait hung in my office because I thought I understood him.
Now he was speaking to me from the other end of a phone line.
“Say something, Lucienne.””
I gripped the phone tighter.
My voice came out colder than I expected.
“You’re dead.””
A quiet laugh answered me.
Not a joyful laugh.
A tired one.
“I knew you would say that.””
Amelia covered her mouth.
Her eyes were fixed on the phone.
Daniel stood frozen near the doorway.
I looked at Amelia.
“Did you know?””
She shook her head quickly.
“No.””
“Don’t lie to me.””
“I swear.””
The voice returned.
“Amelia was never good at lying to you.””
My stomach twisted.
“Where are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“Somewhere I should have gone twenty-five years ago.””
My anger exploded.
“You don’t get to speak in riddles.””
I stood.
“You let me believe she was dead.””
Silence.
Then my father said something I never expected.
“I know.””
The simple apology hurt more than denial.
I walked toward the window.
Rain covered the glass.
“You destroyed my life.””
“No.””
His voice became quieter.
“I destroyed the version of your life that I wanted you to have.””
I laughed.
“You don’t hear yourself, do you?””
“I hear everything.””
“Then hear this. I spent twenty-five years wondering why the person I loved most disappeared.””
My voice cracked.
“I thought she abandoned me.””
Across the room, Amelia lowered her head.
My father sighed.
“She never abandoned you.””
“Then why?””
“Because I made sure she couldn’t reach you.””
My hand trembled.
“Why?””
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then:
“Because I was trying to protect you from something worse.””
I almost screamed.
“Everyone says that.””
I looked at Amelia.
“Everyone who hurts me says they did it to protect me.””
My father didn’t respond.
And that silence frightened me.
“Tell me the truth.””
“I will.””
“Now.””
“No.””
The answer shocked me.
“No?””
“Not over the phone.””
I stared at the screen.
“You expect me to trust you?””
“No.””
His voice sounded broken.
“I expect you to hate me.””
Nobody spoke.
Then he added:
“But before you decide what I deserve, you need to know what happened that night.””
The call ended.
I stood there holding a silent phone.
Amelia slowly approached.
“Lucy…”
I turned.
“Don’t.””
Her face fell.
“I know you’re angry.””
“Angry?””
I looked at the bracelet around her wrist.
“I spent half my life grieving you.””
Tears appeared in her eyes.
“I spent half my life trying to get back to you.””
“Then why didn’t you?””
“Because every path back to you led through him.””
I looked away.
“Your father was powerful.””
“My father was cruel.””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
The word was soft.
But certain.
Daniel cleared his throat.
“Ms. Vale.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
He hesitated.
“There’s something you should see.””
He handed me his tablet.
On the screen was an old photograph.
A photograph from twenty-five years ago.
I recognized the location immediately.
The train station where Amelia and I had planned to meet.
My heart stopped.
But there was something I didn’t recognize.
A man standing behind us.
Watching.
Daniel zoomed in.
The image became clearer.
The man’s face appeared.
And I felt the blood leave my body.
Because the man standing behind seventeen-year-old Amelia and me wasn’t my father.
It wasn’t Victor.
It wasn’t Adrian.
It was someone I trusted.
Someone who had spent years pretending to protect me.
My lawyer.
My closest advisor.
The man who helped me build Valecrest Holdings.
Daniel whispered:
“Ms. Vale…”
I stared at the picture.
“Who took this?””
He looked at me.
“That’s the problem.””
“What?””
Daniel swallowed.
“The photo was found in your father’s private files.””
I looked back at Amelia.
She already knew.
“What?””
Her voice was barely audible.
“Lucy…”
I stepped closer.
“What?””
She closed her eyes.
“The night I disappeared…”
A tear fell down her cheek.
“I wasn’t running from your father.””
I waited.
“Then who were you running from?””
She looked directly at me.
May you like
And whispered:
“Your future.””