{"id":9225,"date":"2026-09-27T13:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=9225"},"modified":"2026-09-27T13:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T13:00:39","slug":"part-7-sebastian-learned-his-real-father-had-built-the-trap-around-us-then-dad-revealed-he-had-known-one-secret-all-along","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=9225","title":{"rendered":"PART 7 \u2013 Sebastian Learned His Real Father Had Built The Trap Around Us, Then Dad Revealed He Had Known One Secret All Along"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sebastian did not speak for almost five miles.<\/p>\n<p>The black SUV remained behind us.<\/p>\n<p>Not close enough to force us off the road.<\/p>\n<p>Close enough to make sure we knew it was there.<\/p>\n<p>I drove north until Michael called.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTake the next exit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re splitting them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s car was ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Michael\u2019s behind.<\/p>\n<p>At the exit, Dad continued straight.<\/p>\n<p>I turned.<\/p>\n<p>Michael turned the opposite direction moments later.<\/p>\n<p>The SUV hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>Then followed us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat,\u201d Sebastian said. \u201cApparently we\u2019re the interesting car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice was empty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I\u2019m not okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I kept driving.<\/p>\n<p>He stared through the side window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll those years Dad treated me like I was his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe still thinks you\u2019re his son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was when I asked him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday. After I learned about Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked whether biology changed anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he raised me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian looked away again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The SUV moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian picked up my phone.<\/p>\n<p>Before he could dial, the SUV suddenly changed lanes and passed us.<\/p>\n<p>We both watched.<\/p>\n<p>It accelerated away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d Sebastian asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The SUV disappeared around a curve.<\/p>\n<p>Two minutes later, we saw it parked across both lanes.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian swore.<\/p>\n<p>I hit the brakes.<\/p>\n<p>Another vehicle appeared behind us.<\/p>\n<p>We were boxed in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReverse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I shifted.<\/p>\n<p>The second vehicle moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian opened the glove compartment as though hoping I had secretly become someone who kept weapons there.<\/p>\n<p>He found napkins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUseful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A man stepped from the SUV ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Black coat.<\/p>\n<p>No visible weapon.<\/p>\n<p>Another emerged from the rear vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian unbuckled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBuying time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first man approached.<\/p>\n<p>He stopped ten feet away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMs. Montgomery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I lowered the window one inch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Vane would like to speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell him phones exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would prefer in person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man did not move.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis situation is more complicated than you understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sentence should be printed on our family crest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian leaned toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell Charles his son says hello.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man\u2019s expression shifted.<\/p>\n<p>Tiny.<\/p>\n<p>But enough.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian saw it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he does know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell him I know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Montgomery\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t call me that like you\u2019re correcting paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was angry now.<\/p>\n<p>Not frightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe watched me grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man remained silent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBirthday parties. School events. My graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian\u2019s voice cracked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe stood beside Dad and said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I reached for his arm.<\/p>\n<p>He pulled away gently.<\/p>\n<p>Not from me.<\/p>\n<p>From everything.<\/p>\n<p>A police siren sounded in the distance.<\/p>\n<p>The men looked at each other.<\/p>\n<p>The lead man stepped backward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. Vane wants no harm to come to either of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I said, \u201cSomeone shot at me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat wasn\u2019t his instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interesting.<\/p>\n<p>Not denial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhose instruction was it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me for a second too long.<\/p>\n<p>Then returned to the SUV.<\/p>\n<p>Both vehicles left before the police arrived.<\/p>\n<p>The officer who stopped behind us had been dispatched after Michael called in our plate and location.<\/p>\n<p>He escorted us to a highway patrol station.<\/p>\n<p>Dad and Claire met us there.<\/p>\n<p>When Sebastian entered, Claire stood.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was there when Rebecca told Vane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Dad know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked toward Arthur.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had just walked into the room.<\/p>\n<p>Something in his expression stopped her.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian noticed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arthur removed his coat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at Claire.<\/p>\n<p>Then at Sebastian.<\/p>\n<p>For one long second, nobody moved.<\/p>\n<p>Finally Dad said, \u201cNot about Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian\u2019s shoulders lowered slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a but.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course there is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Arthur looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew I couldn\u2019t have biological children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian stared.<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Claire had already told me.<\/p>\n<p>Hearing Dad say it made everything heavier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore I married Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian\u2019s anger sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you knew I wasn\u2019t yours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew I probably wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a very small chance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever test?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked at him directly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you were my son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat answer worked better when I didn\u2019t know everyone else was running secret DNA labs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad accepted the hit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI deserved that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Mom got pregnant, what did she tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat the doctors had been wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you believed her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The exact confession Dad had made about the money.<\/p>\n<p>I chose not to notice because believing everything was fine was easier.<\/p>\n<p>The pattern was not only Mom\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s weakness had always been hope used as avoidance.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian paced the small room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd never asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause by the time doubt became impossible to ignore, I had already spent years being your father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Dad continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was afraid a test would make me behave differently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt made sense to me then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou thought knowledge would make you love me less?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was afraid knowing someone else had created you would make me hate your mother more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That silenced him.<\/p>\n<p>Claire sat near the wall, hands folded.<\/p>\n<p>Dad turned toward her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd apparently I should have hated her more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re defending Rebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m saying hatred won\u2019t explain what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad looked away.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cThen what will?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire breathed in slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, she told us what happened before my birth.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca had always been the favored daughter.<\/p>\n<p>Older.<\/p>\n<p>Careful.<\/p>\n<p>Socially skilled.<\/p>\n<p>Claire was ten years younger, born from Grandpa Carter\u2019s second marriage.<\/p>\n<p>Their father died when Claire was sixteen.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca became part sister, part guardian.<\/p>\n<p>That gave her enormous power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe chose my schools,\u201d Claire said. \u201cControlled the accounts Dad left for me. Decided who I could date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian muttered, \u201cThat sounds familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The simplicity of it hurt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also wanted to escape her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At twenty, Claire met someone.<\/p>\n<p>Not Dad.<\/p>\n<p>Not David.<\/p>\n<p>Not Michael.<\/p>\n<p>A graduate student working summers near Lake Geneva.<\/p>\n<p>His name was Thomas Reed.<\/p>\n<p>They fell in love quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca hated him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe encouraged me to control my inheritance myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was again.<\/p>\n<p>Money beneath everything.<\/p>\n<p>Claire became pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas proposed.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca told her she was too young.<\/p>\n<p>Then she told Thomas Claire had decided against the marriage.<\/p>\n<p>She told Claire Thomas had left.<\/p>\n<p>Neither story was true.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe might be my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI only slept with one person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer was so simple it made decades of fake paternity reports look obscene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t Grandma name him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Evelyn never met him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did everyone hide his identity?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire stared at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe told Evelyn there were multiple possible fathers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt nauseated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe made Grandma think you didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make me look unreliable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian asked, \u201cAnd Charles Vane?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe helped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he was sleeping with Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Claire continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I became pregnant, Rebecca had just lost a pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vane\u2019s child.<\/p>\n<p>Not Dad\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca panicked.<\/p>\n<p>She had told Dad she was pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>She could not produce a baby without exposing the affair.<\/p>\n<p>Then Claire became pregnant.<\/p>\n<p>A solution presented itself.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe planned to take me before I was even born.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s eyes met mine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not understand that until later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After my birth, Rebecca offered to keep me temporarily.<\/p>\n<p>Claire was exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>Afraid.<\/p>\n<p>Alone.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had vanished.<\/p>\n<p>She agreed for three weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Then she asked for me back.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca refused.<\/p>\n<p>Vane produced paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>Grandma was told Claire had abandoned the baby.<\/p>\n<p>Claire confronted them.<\/p>\n<p>She threatened police.<\/p>\n<p>Within days, a doctor signed an emergency psychiatric hold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire gave a humorless smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVane\u2019s uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian turned away.<\/p>\n<p>The machinery was becoming visible.<\/p>\n<p>Not one villain.<\/p>\n<p>A network of favors.<\/p>\n<p>Family money.<\/p>\n<p>Professional credentials.<\/p>\n<p>People willing to call abuse protection.<\/p>\n<p>Dad asked, \u201cHow did Michael become involved?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked toward the station door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe found me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout a year later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael had discovered Claire at the first private facility.<\/p>\n<p>He confronted Grandma.<\/p>\n<p>Grandma threatened to cut him off financially.<\/p>\n<p>Michael kept pushing.<\/p>\n<p>Then he found the altered birth documents.<\/p>\n<p>He contacted David because David had suspicions about Rebecca\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Together they planned to tell Dad.<\/p>\n<p>Before they could, Michael disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>David died.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened to Michael?\u201d Dad asked.<\/p>\n<p>Claire hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI only know what he told me years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was arrested under another name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossession.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michael had insisted the drugs were planted.<\/p>\n<p>He spent three years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>By the time he got out, Grandma offered him money to leave the country.<\/p>\n<p>He took it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d Dad demanded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she threatened Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That silenced the room.<\/p>\n<p>Grandma knew Michael had a son.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel.<\/p>\n<p>She told Michael that if he returned, Daniel\u2019s adoption arrangements would be disrupted and Rebecca\u2019s connection to him exposed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Michael disappeared to protect Daniel,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Claire nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Dad stood and walked to the far wall.<\/p>\n<p>Everything he had believed about his brother had been manufactured.<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian looked at Claire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Charles?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does he want now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s hands tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants the trust documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause they prove where the money went.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Mom\u2019s debts?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of the missing trust money did not go to Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Vane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The amount was larger than we knew.<\/p>\n<p>Millions moved through property sales.<\/p>\n<p>Shell companies.<\/p>\n<p>Legal retainers.<\/p>\n<p>Long-term facility payments.<\/p>\n<p>Land purchases.<\/p>\n<p>The trust had been drained slowly.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca was both participant and victim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe depended on him,\u201d Claire said. \u201cHe controlled the documents that could expose Sebastian\u2019s paternity, your adoption, my confinement, everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo my biological father blackmailed my mother while pretending to be the family lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad turned from the wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Rebecca may cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she is terrified of him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the shooting?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore the shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is one thing I never told Rebecca I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThomas came back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heart stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTen years after you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he see me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I could barely speak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a school concert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A memory surfaced.<\/p>\n<p>Fourth grade.<\/p>\n<p>A man standing near the back doors.<\/p>\n<p>Dark hair.<\/p>\n<p>Green scarf.<\/p>\n<p>He smiled when I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>I thought he was someone\u2019s father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe knew who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe watched you perform.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told Rebecca he was going to court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire reached into her pocket and removed a small folded paper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause three days later he disappeared again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgain?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis time permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sebastian asked the obvious question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you think Vane killed him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then she handed me the paper.<\/p>\n<p>It was a photocopy of a bank deposit slip.<\/p>\n<p>Two hundred thousand dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Paid to Thomas Reed.<\/p>\n<p>From a trust-controlled account.<\/p>\n<p>The date was the day after my school concert.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandma paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s expression was grim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is what Thomas\u2019s daughter wants to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Claire nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a half sister.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before I could process that, someone opened the station door.<\/p>\n<p>A woman in her early thirties stepped inside.<\/p>\n<p>Dark hair.<\/p>\n<p>My eyes.<\/p>\n<p>She saw me and stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Claire whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The woman crossed the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy name is Nora Reed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at me for a long second.<\/p>\n<p>Then held out a sealed envelope.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur father left this for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/?p=9226\">Click here to continue reading: PART 8: My Half Sister Brought Our Father\u2019s Last Letter, And Its Final Sentence Turned Charles Vane\u2019s Entire Story Upside Down<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sebastian did not speak for almost five miles. The black SUV remained behind us. Not close enough to force us off the road. Close enough to make sure we knew &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9225"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9269,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9225\/revisions\/9269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}