Chapter 12: The Monster They Created
The police searched Daniel's apartment.
They found nothing.
Not a single document.
Not a single computer.
Not even a change of clothes.
It was as if Daniel Mercer had never existed.
But I knew better.
People like Daniel didn't disappear.
They prepared.
Maya stood in my father's living room, studying the evidence board she had created.
"He's trying to control the narrative again.""
I looked at the photographs.
"How?""
"By becoming the victim.""
She wasn't wrong.
By morning, news outlets had already started reporting.
MERCER HEIR CLAIMS FALSE ACCUSATIONS.
BUSINESSMAN TARGETED BY EX-FIANCÉE.
The headline made me sick.
They weren't denying the evidence.
They were changing the story.
Exactly what Daniel always did.
My mother watched the television silently.
"He learned from Charles.""
I looked at her.
"What does that mean?""
"Charles never fought accusations directly.""
She pointed at the screen.
"He made people question the person accusing him.""
I remembered Daniel.
The calm voice.
The concerned expression.
The way he made me look unstable.
"He learned from the best.""
That afternoon, Daniel contacted me.
Not through a message.
Through a video.
Everyone gathered around the laptop.
His face appeared.
Perfect suit.
Calm expression.
The same man from the altar.
"Claire.""
My hands tightened.
"I know you're watching.""
Maya reached for the keyboard.
"Don't close it.""
I stared at him.
Daniel smiled.
"I imagine you're angry.""
No response.
"I understand.""
I almost laughed.
He didn't understand anything.
"I made mistakes.""
There it was.
The word.
Mistakes.
Not violence.
Not fraud.
Mistakes.
"But I need you to know something.""
He leaned closer.
"The person who destroyed our lives isn't me.""
My mother went still.
Daniel continued.
"Ask your mother why she disappeared.""
I looked at her.
Her face changed.
"Ask your father why he helped.""
The video paused.
Then he smiled.
"Ask them why they never told you the truth.""
The screen went black.
Nobody spoke.
Because Daniel had done exactly what he wanted.
He planted doubt.
Even knowing he was manipulating me, a small part of me wondered.
What else didn't I know?
My mother noticed.
"Claire.""
I looked at her.
"He's good at that.""
"What?""
"Making you question yourself.""
I looked away.
"I spent years believing him.""
She moved closer.
"But you don't anymore.""
"No.""
I shook my head.
"I don't.""
That night, my mother gave me the final piece.
A small key.
"I kept this for twenty-eight years.""
"What does it open?""
"Something your father never knew about.""
My father looked surprised.
"You had something hidden?""
She nodded.
"Everyone had secrets.""
She placed the key in my palm.
"Even me.""
The key opened a safety deposit box.
Inside was a journal.
My mother's journal.
The first page had a date.
The day before she disappeared.
I read.
Charles Mercer is not the greatest danger.
My heart stopped.
The next sentence.
Daniel is.
I turned the page.
My mother's handwriting became rushed.
He knows about Jonathan.
He knows about the evidence.
But he doesn't know the most important truth.
I kept reading.
Daniel was never chosen by Charles.
He chose Charles.
I looked up.
"What does that mean?""
My mother looked devastated.
"It means Daniel wasn't manipulated into becoming dangerous.""
She whispered.
"He wanted power.""
The next page contained one final sentence.
The reason Daniel married Claire was not because of her company.
It was because he believed Claire was the only person who could lead him to his inheritance.
I frowned.
"Inheritance?""
My mother pointed at the journal.
I read the final words.
May you like
Jonathan Mercer left everything to his secret daughter.
Lily.
