Instead, I remembered how defensive he had become when I asked him about his dating history.
I dropped Rachel off at her office and went straight to my dad’s house.
He answered wearing an old sweatshirt and slippers.
He had messy hair and deep dark circles under his eyes.
“Rachel didn’t answer me,” he said. “Did I do something wrong?”
The pain in his voice sounded genuine.
Without answering, I entered.
He followed me into the living room.
“Lola, what happened?”
“Someone threatened her.”
His face froze.
“What?”
I showed him the messages.
He read each one slowly, his expression changing from confusion to fear.
“Did it happen after our date?”
“YES.”
She gave him back the phone.
“We should call the police.”
“I already told Rachel we should do this.”
“So why are you here?”
I studied it carefully.
“Because whoever sent the message knew personal details about her. He even knew when I called her.”
He stared at me.
“Do you think I did it?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
He slowly sank onto the sofa.
For a moment, he looked much older than he had the day before.
“I would never hurt her.”
“Then help me understand.”
He rubbed his hands on his knees.
“I cannot.”
While he watched, I searched the house.
Everything seemed normal.
The kitchen was spotless.
His laptop was sitting on the dining table.
His phone was lying next to him.
“Can I look at your phone?” I asked.
He hesitated only for a moment.
“Obviously.”
There were no hidden apps.
No suspicious calls.
No unknown contacts.
Then I noticed a notification from his home security system.
“Have you installed any cameras?”
“After someone broke into the garage last year.”
“Where am I?”
“Front porch, driveway and back door.”
I opened the app.
The footage showed my father walking home alone at 10:17 PM.
Within.
A few minutes later, someone stepped onto the edge of the driveway.
The person was wearing a hood and had his face turned away.
My heartbeat quickened.
“Who is that?”
My father leaned forward.
“I do not know.”
The figure stopped beside his car before disappearing from sight.
I rewatched the video.
This time I focused on the shoes.
White sneakers with a dark stripe down the side.
I had seen them before.
Not recently, but often enough to remember.
My father looked at me.
“Lola?”
I closed the app.
“I have to check something.”
I drove home and grabbed an old storage box from my closet.
Inside were photographs, greeting cards, and documents that belonged to her mother.
At the bottom was a photo of his last summer.
Next to her was my aunt Sabrina.
On Sabrina’s feet were the same white sneakers.
She was my mother’s younger sister.
After his mother’s death, he helped his father in every difficult moment.
She cooked, took care of the paperwork, and stayed with him while I finished college.
Then, gradually, she disappeared from our lives, saying it hurt too much to go home.
I always believed her.
I called Rachel.
“Do you remember when I met my aunt Sabrina?”
“Once, at your graduation party.”
“Did you tell her about Graham?”
Rachel remained silent.
“Yes. She found me in the bathroom crying. I told her everything.”
The last piece fell into place.
I arrived at Sabrina’s apartment before I even had time to think about it.
He opened the door wearing workout clothes.
His white sneakers were sitting next to the entrance.
The moment I showed her the security camera footage, her face went pale.
“You followed Rachel,” I said.
Sabrina took a small step back.
“Lola, you don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
The sweetness disappeared from her face.
“Your father should have loved your mother forever.”
“He did it.”
“No. He replaced her.”
“He spent twelve years alone.”
“And that made dating acceptable?”
His voice rose with every word.
“Your mother gave him everything. And he smiled at strangers as if she had never existed.”
Anger overcame my pain.
“You threatened six women.”
“I warned them.”
“You terrified them.”
“I protected your mother’s place in his life.”
“You protected nothing.”
Sabrina’s eyes filled with tears.
She admitted that she found all the women through my dad’s dating profile.
She researched them online, followed up with them after their dates, and contacted them using temporary phone numbers.
Most of the women panicked, blocked my father, and disappeared from his life.
Rachel was different because Sabrina already knew her.
“Why did you involve Graham?” I asked.
“Otherwise he wouldn’t have listened to me.”
I stared at the woman who had held me during my mother’s funeral.
“You didn’t honor your mother. You used her.”
Sabrina covered her face with both hands.
I turned and walked away without attempting to console her.
Rachel reported the threats to the police.
My father gave me the footage from his security cameras.
As part of the legal process, Sabrina finally took responsibility for everything she had done and began counseling.
Initially, my father blamed himself.
“I should never have started dating,” she said.
I sat next to him at the kitchen table.
“No. You should have started living earlier.”
Several months passed before he found the courage to try again.
This time he was honest with the girl he dated about my mother.
She also admitted that she fears missing out on another chance at happiness.
Her name was Jocelyn.
The next morning he did not disappear.
After their third date, my dad called me.
Low-volume music could be heard in the background.
Then I heard him laugh at something Jocelyn had said.
For the first time in twelve years, the house no longer felt like a place frozen in pain, waiting for someone who would never return.
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