CHAPTER SIX: What they never told me
1018 Words
The message didn’t leave Lina’s mind.
Not in class.
Not during lunch.
Not even when the final bell rang.
“Ask your father what really happened.”
It wasn’t just the words.
It was the certainty behind them.
Whoever sent that message knew something.
Something real.
Something dangerous.
The walk home felt longer than usual.
Every step heavier.
Every thought louder.
Cassie had offered to come with her, but Lina refused.
“This is something I have to do alone,” she said.
Cassie didn’t argue.
But the worry in her eyes lingered.
By the time Lina reached home, the sun had started to dip, casting long shadows across the compound.
Everything looked the same.
The small house.
The quiet yard.
The familiar silence.
But it didn’t feel the same.
Not anymore.
She pushed the door open.
“Mum?” she called softly.
“In the kitchen!” her mother replied.
Normal.
Too normal.
Lina dropped her bag slowly and walked in.
Her mother stood over the stove, stirring a pot like it was any other day.
Like nothing had changed.
Like Lina’s world hadn’t just been turned upside down.
“You’re late today,” her mother said without turning. “School must be—”
“Mum.”
Something in Lina’s voice made her stop.
Slowly, she turned around.
And frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Lina swallowed.
“Where’s Dad?”
Her mother hesitated.
Just for a second.
But Lina saw it.
“He’ll be back soon,” she said carefully. “Why?”
Lina didn’t answer.
She just nodded and walked out.
The waiting was unbearable.
Every sound made her heart jump.
Every passing minute felt like an hour.
Until finally—
The door creaked open.
Her father stepped in.
Tired. Quiet. Unaware.
“Lina,” he said with a small smile. “You’re home—”
“What happened?”
The words came out sharp.
Unexpected.
Her father blinked. “What?”
Lina stepped closer.
Her heart is racing now.
“What happened?” she repeated. “What are you hiding from me?”
Silence.
Heavy.
Her mother stepped in quickly. “Lina, what is this—”
“No,” Lina snapped. “Not this time.”
Her eyes stayed locked on her father.
“I need the truth.”
Her father’s expression changed.
Confusion… then something else.
Something deeper.
“Where is this coming from?” he asked.
Lina pulled out her phone.
Opened the message.
And held it up.
“From this.”
He read it.
And in that moment—
Everything shifted.
The colour drained slightly from his face.
His silence said more than words ever could.
Lina’s chest tightened.
“You know what it means,” she whispered.
It wasn’t a question.
Her mother stepped forward. “It’s nothing—”
“Stop,” Lina said firmly.
Her voice didn’t shake this time.
“I’m tired of being the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on.”
Silence filled the room again.
Then—
Her father exhaled slowly.
Like a man who had been holding something in for too long.
“There are things…” he began carefully, “we didn’t tell you because we wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?” Lina asked.
He looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And then he said it.
“Silver Crest.”
Lina froze.
“What?”
“That school,” he continued, his voice lower now, “is not just a school to us.”
Her heartbeat quickened.
“What does that mean?”
Her father hesitated.
But this time—
He didn’t stop.
“Years ago,” he said, “I worked for a family connected to that school.”
Lina’s breath caught.
“A powerful family,” he added. “Rich. Influential.”
A pause.
“They had a daughter.”
Lina’s stomach dropped.
No.
No way.
“You’re not saying—”
“Yes,” her father said quietly.
“Tiana.”
The room felt smaller.
Tighter.
Unreal.
“I worked for her family?” Lina whispered.
Her father nodded slowly.
“But something happened,” he continued. “Something I never told you.”
Lina’s chest tightened.
“What happened?”
Silence.
Then—
“I was accused of stealing.”
The words hit hard.
“What?” Lina’s voice cracked.
“I didn’t do it,” he said quickly. “But in their world… truth doesn’t matter. Power does.”
Her mother stepped in, her voice trembling slightly. “We lost everything after that. Your father’s name, his job… everything.”
Lina’s mind raced.
The videos.
The humiliation.
The attacks.
It wasn’t random.
It was revenge.
“But… why now?” Lina asked. “Why me?”
Her father looked at her.
Guilt was written all over his face.
“Because they never believed me,” he said. “And now…”
A pause.
“They think this is their chance to finish what they started.”
Lina stepped back slightly.
Her heart is pounding.
“So Tiana knows?”
Her father nodded.
“Yes.”
“And she’s using me… to get to you.”
Silence confirmed it.
Lina’s hands slowly clenched.
Everything made sense now.
The targeting.
The messages.
The personal attacks.
This wasn’t just bullying.
This was war.
That night, Lina sat on her bed, staring at nothing.
The truth sat heavily in her chest.
Bigger than anything she expected.
More dangerous than anything she imagined.
Her phone buzzed.
She didn’t want to check it.
But she did.
Another message.
Unknown number.
This time… no warning.
Just a photo.
Her father.
Outside their house.
Taken recently.
Very recently.
Lina’s breath stopped.
Then the message came in.
“Now you understand. Stay in your place… or we make him pay for it again.”
Lina’s fear didn’t rise.
Not this time.
Something else did.
Something colder.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
Slowly… she stood up.
Her eyes are steady.
Her decision has been made.
“No,” she whispered into the silence.
“They don’t get to win again.”
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