At the time, I thought it was simply fear.
Now, it felt different.
“He knew something,” I whispered.
Samuel looked at me.
“What?”
“The night I told Ethan I was pregnant, he asked if you knew about us.”
Samuel’s face went pale.
“Did you tell him?”
“No.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“He said…”
I stopped.
“What?”
“He said, ‘If Samuel finds out who I am, everything changes.’”
Samuel closed his eyes.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then his phone rang.
The sound made both of us jump.
Samuel looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
“Who is it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
The number was blocked.
He picked up.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then a man’s voice came through.
“Samuel.”
My grandfather’s hand began to tremble.
“Who is this?”
“You know exactly who this is.”
Samuel stood.
“Daniel?”
The voice laughed softly.
“No.”
A pause.
“Daniel is dead.”
My heart stopped.
The caller continued.
“But his son is very much alive.”
The line went dead.
Samuel slowly lowered the phone.
I stared at him.
“Grandpa…”
He looked at me.
“He knows you’re here.”
“Who?”
Samuel’s eyes filled with fear.
“Ethan.”
PART 4 — THE MAN WHO NEVER REALLY LEFT
