Chapter 9 - THE FATHER I THOUGHT HAD ABANDONED ME
My father disappeared when I was sixteen.
At least, that was what I'd been told.
His name was Thomas Carter.
He'd been a mechanic.
A quiet man with rough hands and a gentle smile.
He taught me how to change a tire before I learned to drive.
He took me to my first boxing class.
And whenever I lost confidence, he'd say:
“Evie, courage isn't about being fearless. It's about choosing what matters more than fear.”
Then one morning, he was gone.
My mother said he'd left us.
No explanation.
No letter.
Nothing.
I spent years hating him.
Then Mom died, and I stopped asking questions.
Now Diane was claiming Marcus Vale knew something about his disappearance.
Ryan stared at the phone.
“What does Marcus have to do with Claire's father?”
Diane hesitated.
“I shouldn't have said anything.”
I leaned forward.
“Diane.”
She went silent.
“What happened to my father?”
“I don't know.”
“You just said Marcus knows.”
She began breathing faster.
“Claire, please. You're putting everyone in danger.”
I felt anger rise.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Diane started crying.
“Your father worked for the wrong people.”
My stomach tightened.
“What people?”
“Men connected to the sports business. He found out things he wasn't supposed to know.”
I closed my eyes.
“Was Marcus involved?”
“Yes.”
The word barely escaped her.
I couldn't breathe.
Ryan reached for my hand.
Diane continued.
“Thomas discovered that several training facilities were falsifying medical records and using illegal substances.”
My heart pounded.
“He tried to report it.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Diane sobbed.
“He disappeared before he could testify.”
I stared at the wall.
My father hadn't abandoned me.
He'd been trying to expose the same people who later destroyed my career.
The realization made me dizzy.
For years, I'd carried anger toward a man who might have died trying to do the right thing.
Then Diane said something else.
“Claire, there's a reason Marcus became interested in you.”
I swallowed.
“What reason?”
“He knew who your father was.”
My hands began shaking.
“He recruited me?”
Diane hesitated.
“Yes.”
I felt sick.
My scholarship.
My introduction to Marcus.
The sudden opportunities.
I'd believed they came from talent.
But Marcus had deliberately brought me into his training program.
Why?
Then Diane whispered:
“He thought your father had hidden something with you.”
I stared at the phone.
“What?”
“A notebook.”
My stomach tightened.
I remembered something.
A small black notebook my father had given me before he disappeared.
He'd told me to keep it safe.
I hadn't looked at it in years.
Diane continued.
“Marcus searched for that notebook for more than a decade.”
Ryan looked at me.
“Do you still have it?”
I nodded slowly.
I knew exactly where it was.
Inside the same wooden chest as my championship belt.
May you like
Then Diane whispered:
“Claire, if Marcus finds that notebook before the police do, he'll make sure you disappear just like your father.”
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