Chapter 23 — The Name He Never Expected
408 Words
Ella stared at Lucas.
“My father?”
The words felt impossible.
Lucas looked at her carefully.
“I’m not saying he’s responsible. I’m saying we found a connection.”
Ella shook her head.
“No… that doesn’t make sense.”
Her father had always been the person she trusted.
The person who supported her.
The person who helped her after she left the city.
How could he be connected to the worst moment of her life?
---
Lucas placed the file on the table.
“Five years ago, someone contacted Amelia before the engagement announcement.”
Ella opened the file.
Her hands trembled as she saw the information.
A name.
A meeting record.
A payment.
Her father’s company.
“No.”
She stepped back.
“This has to be wrong.”
Lucas immediately softened.
“Ella.”
“No.”
Her voice cracked.
“My father would never do that.”
---
Lucas stayed quiet.
Because he knew that pain.
The pain of finding out someone you trusted wasn’t who you thought.
“I don’t want to believe it either,” he said.
Ella looked at him.
“Why are you so calm?”
“I’m not.”
His voice lowered.
“I’m just trying to find the truth.”
---
That night, Ella couldn’t sleep.
Memories of her father filled her mind.
His advice.
His kindness.
The way he told her she deserved happiness.
She didn’t want to believe any of it was fake.
---
The next morning, Lucas offered to go with her.
“I’m coming.”
Ella looked at him.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
A pause.
“But you shouldn’t face this alone.”
Those words were simple.
But they meant something.
Because years ago, she faced everything alone.
---
When they arrived at her father’s old office, Ella’s heart was beating fast.
The receptionist looked shocked.
“Miss Carter?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you would never come back.”
Ella frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The woman hesitated.
“Your father left something for you.”
She handed Ella an envelope.
No name.
No explanation.
Only one sentence on the front.
“For my daughter, when she finally learns the truth.”
Ella’s hands shook.
She opened it slowly.
And the first line made her stop breathing.
“Ella, I’m sorry for what I did five years ago.”
Chapter 23 End.
- Writer
