PART 7 — THE FATHER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD

Meredith stared through the window.
Robert stood beneath the porch light.

Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakably alive.
For twenty-nine years, Meredith had believed her father had been the man who raised her.
For twenty-nine years, she had believed his cruelty was simply part of who he was.
The humiliating jokes.
The cold dinners.
The constant criticism.

The way he had looked at her as though she had somehow disappointed him simply by existing.
And now he was standing outside the house after everyone had told her he was gone.
Allison still had the gun pointed at Julian.
Alexander stood beside Meredith.
Nobody moved.
Robert smiled.
“Meredith.”
She couldn’t answer.
Robert knocked gently on the glass.
“Open the door.”

Julian immediately said,
“Don’t.”
Robert laughed.
“Still protecting her, Julian?”

Meredith turned sharply.
“You know him.”
Julian didn’t answer.
Robert’s smile disappeared.
“Of course he knows me.”
Meredith looked at Julian.

“How?”
Robert answered from outside.
“Because twelve years ago, your husband came looking for your mother.”
Meredith’s stomach tightened.
“And I was the one who sent him.”
Silence.
Julian’s face hardened.
Meredith stared at him.
“You said the order came from inside my family.”
Robert nodded from outside.
“It did.”

Allison lowered the gun slightly.
“Dad…”
Robert looked at her.

“Don’t call me that.”
Allison froze.
Meredith felt something inside her crack.
“What did you just say?”
Robert looked at her through the glass.
“I stopped being your father a long time ago.”

Meredith whispered,
“Then who are you?”
Robert stepped closer.
“That’s the question your mother spent her life trying to keep you from asking.”
Alexander suddenly moved toward the door.

“Robert.”
Robert looked at him.
“You should have stayed dead.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“I tried.”
Meredith looked between them.
“You two know each other.”
Robert smiled.
“We all know each other.”
Then he looked directly at Julian.

“Don’t you, Mr. Vale?”
Julian remained silent.
Robert continued.
“You were twelve years too late.”

Meredith stepped toward the door.
“What happened twelve years ago?”
Robert looked at her.
“Your mother found out who you really were.”
Meredith’s heart stopped.
“What do you mean?”
“You were never supposed to know.”
“Know what?”

“That the Campbell family was never your family.”
Allison started crying.
“Dad, please.”
Robert snapped,

“Enough.”
Meredith turned toward Allison.
“What does he mean?”

Allison shook her head.
“I don’t know everything.”
“But you knew something.”
“Yes.”

“How much?”
Allison wiped her tears.
“I knew Mom was alive.”
Meredith stared at her.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Since I was twenty-two.”
Meredith felt physically sick.
Allison had known for seven years.
Seven years while Meredith believed their mother was dead or gone forever.
Seven years while Allison smiled at family dinners.

Seven years while Meredith mourned.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Allison’s voice broke.
“Because Bradford told me you would die.”
Meredith looked toward the dark street.
“Where is Bradford?”

Nobody answered.
Then Robert said,
“Not far.”
A car engine started somewhere beyond the trees.
Meredith looked outside.
Two headlights appeared at the end of the road.
The car moved slowly toward the house.
Julian immediately reached for his weapon.
“Everyone down.”
The headlights stopped.
The driver’s door opened.

Bradford stepped out.
He wasn’t smiling anymore.
He looked directly at Meredith.
Then he raised both hands.

“I didn’t hurt Allison.”
Allison shouted,
“Don’t listen to him!”

Bradford looked at her.
“You know that’s not true.”
“You lied to me.”
“So did everyone else.”
He took another step.
Julian moved in front of Meredith.
Bradford stopped.
“Julian.”
Julian said nothing.
Bradford laughed bitterly.
“You always did like standing between her and the truth.”
Meredith stepped around Julian.
“Why did you marry Allison?”

Bradford looked at her.
“Because I was ordered to.”
Allison closed her eyes.
Meredith felt her heart break for her sister.
“By whom?”
Bradford looked toward Robert.

Robert shook his head.
“Don’t.”
Bradford ignored him.
“By your father.”
Meredith stared at Robert.
Robert’s expression remained calm.
“You married my sister because Robert told you to?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Bradford looked at Allison.

“Because your sister was the only person who could get close enough to you without making you suspicious.”
Meredith’s voice became almost inaudible.
“So Allison was spying on me.”

Allison shook her head violently.
“No.”
Bradford said,
“At first.”
Allison looked at him.
“You promised you wouldn’t tell her.”
“I promised nothing.”
Meredith turned toward Allison.
“Was it true?”
Allison began crying.

“Yes.”
Meredith closed her eyes.
The childhood memories returned again.
The birthday calls.
The unexpected visits.
The questions Allison always asked about Meredith’s work.
The way she knew when Meredith was dating someone.

The way she always seemed to know where Meredith was going.
Meredith had thought it was sisterly concern.
It wasn’t.
It had been surveillance.
Then Allison said something that made Meredith look up.
“But I stopped.”
“When?”
“When I realized what they were planning.”
“What were they planning?”
Allison looked at Robert.
“To kill you.”
The room went silent.
Meredith whispered,
“Why?”
Robert answered.
“Because you remembered.”
“Remembered what?”
“Your mother.”
Meredith shook her head.
“I don’t remember anything.”
Robert smiled sadly.
“That’s because Patricia made sure you forgot.”
Julian’s face changed.
Meredith noticed.
“You know.”
Julian said nothing.
“Julian.”
He looked at her.
“Your mother didn’t just hide you.”
“What did she do?”
“She had your memories altered.”
Meredith stared at him.
The room seemed to tilt.
“That isn’t possible.”
Alexander stepped forward.
“It happened.”
Meredith looked at him.
“How?”
Alexander’s voice was quiet.
“Not like in a movie.”
He took a breath.
“You were seventeen.”
“You had witnessed something you were never supposed to see.”
“What?”
“Your mother meeting someone.”
“Who?”
Alexander looked at Robert.
“Robert.”
Meredith’s eyes widened.
“You saw them together.”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
“Your mother took you away.”
“But why would I forget?”
Alexander looked at Julian.
“Because someone attacked the car.”
Meredith suddenly remembered rain.
Headlights.
Her mother’s hand gripping hers.
A scream.
Glass breaking.
Then darkness.
She touched her temple.
“I remember.”
Julian stepped closer.
“What do you remember?”
“My mother was driving.”
She closed her eyes.
“There was another car.”
Alexander nodded.
“Keep going.”
“She told me to get down.”
Meredith’s breathing became faster.
“She said someone was following us.”
“What else?”
Meredith opened her eyes.
“I saw a man.”
“Who?”
She looked toward the window.
Robert was gone.
Meredith froze.
“Where did he go?”
Julian turned.
The porch was empty.
The front door was still locked.
But Robert was gone.
Again.
Meredith looked at the floor.
There was a small object lying beside the door.
A photograph.
She picked it up.
It showed Patricia standing beside a young man.
Meredith recognized him immediately.
Julian.
But the photograph was dated twelve years before she had met him.
She turned it over.
There was writing on the back.
HE DIDN’T FIND YOU.
HE WAS SENT TO YOU.
Meredith looked at Julian.
“You lied.”
Julian’s face went pale.
“I never wanted to.”
“How long did you know my mother?”
“Twelve years.”
“No.”
Meredith held up the photograph.
“This is older than twelve years.”
Julian didn’t answer.
“How long?”
He finally whispered,
“Twenty-one years.”
Meredith’s heart stopped.
“You knew my mother when I was eight.”
“Yes.”
“And you were watching me before I was seventeen.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Julian looked at her.
“Because Patricia asked me to.”
Meredith shook her head.
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
Julian reached into his coat.
He pulled out an old envelope.
“This does.”
Meredith took it.
Her hands trembled.
On the front was her mother’s handwriting.
FOR MEREDITH — ONLY IF SHE DISCOVERS THE TRUTH ABOUT ROBERT.
Meredith opened it.
Inside was a single page.
Her mother’s words were written in dark blue ink.
“My daughter.”
“If you are reading this, then Robert has returned.”
“He will tell you that he raised you.”
“He will tell you that he protected you.”
“He will tell you that everyone around you betrayed you.”
“Do not believe him.”
Meredith’s hands began shaking.
The next sentence was underlined three times.
“Robert Campbell died before you were born.”
Meredith stopped breathing.
She looked at Julian.
“Then who was the man who raised me?”
Julian didn’t answer.
Alexander whispered,
“A man named Thomas Reed.”
Meredith stared.
“Who is Thomas Reed?”
Alexander looked toward the window where Robert had been standing.
“That is Robert Campbell.”
Meredith’s face went pale.
“He stole the identity.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Alexander took a breath.
“Because the real Robert Campbell was the man your mother trusted.”
“And the man outside?”
“A man who killed him.”
Meredith looked down at the letter.
Then she noticed one final sentence written at the bottom.
“There is one person you must never trust.”
Meredith turned the page.
The name was written alone.
Julian.
She looked up.
Julian was already staring at her.
His face held no anger.
Only grief.
Meredith whispered,
“Why did my mother tell me not to trust you?”
Julian’s voice was barely audible.
“Because she knew what I did.”
Meredith’s heart stopped.
“What did you do?”
Julian looked toward Allison.
Then Alexander.
Then finally Meredith.
“Twelve years ago, I was the one who erased your memories.”
The room went completely silent.
And Meredith realized the truth she had been searching for wasn’t waiting outside the house.
It had been standing beside her for years.
Her husband hadn’t simply protected her from the secret.
He had helped create it.
And before Meredith could ask why, her phone vibrated.
One new message.
FROM MOTHER.
“Julian is lying.”
A second message appeared.
“Your memories were never erased.”
Then a third.
“YOU CHOSE TO FORGET.”
Continue read next >>>PART8END:My family laughed when I walked into my sister’s …