The room fell into stunned silence.
Only the sound of the storm crashing against the lighthouse broke the stillness.
Rebecca stared at Daniel as though she’d never seen him before.
“No…”
Her voice trembled.
“Gabriel would never hurt Michael.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“I believed that too.”
Emily felt her knees weaken.
Zach caught her before she could fall.
She looked at Daniel, tears streaming down her face.
“Tell me the truth.”
“No more secrets.”
“No more protecting people.”
“If my father died…”
“I deserve to know how.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“You do.”
⸻
Twenty-Three Years Earlier
December 23.
Snow drifted across Blackwater Point Lighthouse.
Inside, Michael Adams, Jonathan Hunter, Gabriel Stone, and Daniel Cross stood around an old wooden table.
The atmosphere was ten
