Page 144 of Lucas

“No. I wanted to talk to you first. To give you the benefitof the doubt. So, did you murder someone?” I ask again, each word like shards of glass in my throat.

He nods, then turns his chair to face the window, his back to me. “It’s not what you think, Lucas. It’s complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it for me,” I snap.

God, it’s true. He killed someone.

“It was years ago. Many, many years.”

“So it’s true? You murdered someone?” I need him to say it, need the confirmation.

“I had no choice. You have to understand. He wasn’t a good man,” he pleads, desperation cracking his words. “He did something terrible to our family.”

“So instead of going to the police, you killed him?” Disbelief colors my voice, tinged with growing horror.

“I didn’t plan to. It wasn’t that simple.” His voice trembles, and for a moment, he looks every bit his age, the lines of his face deepened by the weight of his guilt. “Believe me, Son. If there had been any other way...”

“Then tell me.” I lean forward. “Make me understand how my father, the brilliant billionaire I’ve looked up to my entire life, could take another life in cold blood.”

“I can’t.” He shakes his head, his eyes pleading. “If I tell you, you’ll be an accomplice. An accessory to murder. There’s a reason I’ve kept this secret for so long, Lucas. I was trying to protect you. All of you.”

“Oh, really? That’s the reason? Not because you were hiding a murder and didn’t want to go to jail?” I stand up and start pacing the room, agitation thrumming through my veins. Everything I thought about this man, my rock, my guiding light...it’s all shattering, the pieces cutting me to ribbons. What’s left now? Who is he? Who am I?

“Yes!” He whirls back around to face me, his eyes wild and desperate. “That is the reason. If you knew, you would have killed him yourself. Anyone would have done what I did. But I didn’t want you to bear my burden. Please, don’t dig deeper, I’m begging you. Nothing good will come of it. The things you’ll uncover will only hurt you. I’m still your father, I still love you and our family. Nothing has changed.”

It’s like he’s reading my mind, voicing my darkest fears. “If this was years ago, why were you talking about it on the phone now? Who was that? A lawyer? Why were you worried about being sued? What’s changed?”

He purses his lips, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“Something happened, didn’t it? You didn’t just bring this up out of the blue? Does it put me in danger? Liam? Cora? Ava?” Panic claws at my throat, icy tendrils of dread unfurling in my stomach.

“No. I don’t think so,” he mumbles, avoiding my eyes.

“You don’t think so? That’s not good enough!” I shout, slamming my hand on his desk. The sound cracks like a gunshot in the tense silence. “Is this related?” I pull the envelope I received from my pocket and toss it on his desk, the paper skidding across the polished wood.

He glances at me, then at the envelope, his brow furrowed. With shaking hands, he opens it and stares at the note inside.

Your turn now.

He drops the letter like it just burned him, his face ashen. “What is this? Where did you get it?”

“It showed up at my office. And that’s after someone carved the same message on my car. And then someone ran me down. So, Dad...does what you did put me in danger or not?”

“You think there’s a connection between your hit and run and this note?” he asks, his eyes searching mine.

“I don’t fucking know what to think, but I’ve been getting threats, and then this happened. Do I need protection?” I rake a hand through my hair.

“It’s been twenty years. What’s done is done,” he says, but there’s a tremor in his voice, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

I stare at him. Is this my life now, untangling decades-old murder plots and fearing for my safety, for the safety of those I love?

“Look, Lucas... This is a shock. You must have a million questions and a million doubts. I need you to trust me. I need you to let this go.” He leans forward. “Nothing good will come of digging into this. It will only bring pain and heartache. Please, Son. Let the past stay buried.”

I shake my head, my throat tight with emotion. “I don’t know if I can do that, Dad. I don’t know if I can just forget what I heard.”

“You have to. For all our sakes. This secret, it’s not just mine. It’s bigger than me. If it gets out...” He trails off, a haunted look in his eyes. “Just trust me, Lucas. I did what I had to do. I’m not proud of it, but I’d do it again to protect the ones I love. To protect our family.”

I close my eyes, my head pounding. I want to believe him. Want to take him at his word, to cling to the image of the father I thought I knew.