Chapter 178:

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Matt’s POV

I told Emily everything I had discovered. We also talked about what happened in the parking lot of the hospital. I don’t know what happened that night. She suddenly lashed out at me, and when I followed her to her condo, I tried to talk to her.

She was cold, and I thought it was because I hadn’t been updating her on my investigation. So, I told her everything. But… after everything, she broke up with me. She ended the relationship I was trying to build with her.

I was angry, but I stayed that night, and the next morning, I tried to spy on my dad again. It was stupid, because I got caught.

“You can’t turn your back on the person who raised you, Matt!” he shouted, his voice filled with anger and disappointment.

I gritted my teeth and glared at him. He caught me personally, not allowing me to escape.

“Why are you doing this, Dad?” I asked, hoping for an explanation, even a stupid one.

As I moved my arm, my eyes landed on the silver cuffs around my wrist. He never hit me when I was a kid. He didn’t raise his voice at me or Mason. He never scolded us, not even once.

Your imagination thrives at galnovels puntocom

So, I didn’t expect him to restrain me like this. Let alone lock me in a dark room.

I had no idea where he brought me. I lost my phone when he made me sleep, but I made sure there was no trace of evidence. I deleted the voice recording after sending it to Emily and making a copy. I hid the flash drive in Emily’s condo, just in case we needed it later.

“Did you tell anyone about what you heard?” he asked.

I gritted my teeth. “How could I tell anyone when you’re restraining me here?”

His eyes narrowed. “How long have you been spying on me?”

“I just heard you yesterday, Dad! I don’t even understand why you’re doing this! Did you know I insulted Kelly just to defend you? I was wrong, Dad! I was wrong to defend you!”

“I’m doing this for our family, Matt! That woman is trying to ruin us!”

“Because you killed her mother, Dad!”

He shot me a glare. “What are you talking about? I didn’t kill her mother.”

I laughed sarcastically and clenched my fists. “You didn’t kill her mother because you hired someone to do it? What kind of logic is that?”

He pulled himself up, still glaring at me. “You’ll stay here until you decide to stop your stupidity and choose your family over that woman.”

“She’s also family, Dad! Your niece—”

“She’s not, Matt! She’s just an impostor trying to take our family’s wealth.”

I laughed bitterly. “Wealth? She doesn’t need it, Dad. Her father’s company is doing just fine, thanks to her excellent leadership. Can’t you see? The family business is thriving now because of her—”

“SO, YOU’RE SAYING I’M NOT A GOOD LEADER?” His voice boomed across the room.

The darkness of the room was already suffocating, and the malice I saw in his eyes made the place even more terrifying. I felt… I don’t really know him, my own father.

He rushed toward me, glaring with cold, dangerous eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Matt! I kept this family together for so long. I spent my life proving myself, thinking I would get what I deserve, but I haven’t received anything. And then that woman… that bitch, shows up out of nowhere and takes everything I’ve worked for. I won’t let her do this to me, Matt. I won’t.”

I clenched my jaw, meeting his sharp gaze. “So, you’re going to become evil over something so petty?”

“Petty? You don’t understand anything, Matt! You don’t understand because your dream was different from mine!”

I shook my head, feeling a deep sense of disappointment. “I don’t understand, and I never will, Dad. I’ll never understand why you have to turn into this monster over something you could have earned again.”

He lifted his chin and balled his fists. I could feel the tension in the air, as if if I weren’t his son, he’d punch me into silence.

“Stay here and think about what you’re losing,” he spat. “I’ll release you once you realize which side you should be on.”

I watched him leave the room, my eyes sharp with anger and frustration. He left me alone in this suffocating space. It wasn’t the room that trapped me; it was him.

I couldn’t believe that the man who raised me was the one responsible for the death of Kelly’s mom. He had also witnessed her abduction when they were kids, but he kept silent all these years, just because he’s selfish. He’s always been selfish.

I squeezed my eyes shut and looked down. My cuffed arm ached, my wrist throbbing. But I couldn’t focus on the physical pain because the ache in my heart was much stronger.

My father… is a criminal. There’s no way I can tolerate him anymore. I need to make him face his mistakes, to make him regret them, while there’s still time. If he doesn’t, the family he’s trying so hard to protect will be completely ruined. And if he refuses to pay for his sins, I’ll report him to the authorities.

I sighed deeply as Emily’s face crossed my mind.

“Damn! I’m in this situation, and yet that woman managed to squeeze herself into my head.”

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