Chapter 14 - My Father’s Panic
My father tried to contact me three times that week.
The first time, he called from a new number. I didn’t answer.
The second time, he left a voicemail:
“Mia, this has gone too far. We’re still your parents. You need to stop this nonsense before it destroys the whole family.”
The third time, he sent a long text message:
“You’re making a mistake. If you drop this, we can all move on. We can even help you with your student loans. Just stop talking to the police.”
I read the message twice.
Then I forwarded it to Detective Ramirez.
An hour later, the detective called me.
“Your father just made a very big mistake,” he said. “That message could be seen as an attempt to bribe or intimidate a witness. We’re going to use it.”
I felt strangely calm.
“They’re getting desperate,” I said.
“Yes,” Detective Ramirez replied. “And desperate people make mistakes. Keep documenting everything. Don’t reply to any of their messages.”
After the call, I sat on the couch and looked at the text from my father one more time.
For years, they had controlled me through fear and guilt.
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Now, they were the ones who were scared.
And I wasn’t going to let them manipulate me ever again.
