Song of Pain (BOOK THREE)

Chapter 28: Identity Revealed

The air in the dimly lit room was thick with tension, every breath heavy, every footstep deliberate. The group stood together, tightly packed in a circle, eyes locked on the figure in front of them. It was supposed to be a confrontation, but nothing could prepare them for the truth that was about to unfold.

Sophie felt a chill run through her as she took in the man standing before them. His features were sharp, his eyes cold and calculating, but the most unsettling part was the mask he wore—a mask that concealed his identity, hiding the truth like a dark secret.

Aaron, standing at the front of the group, narrowed his eyes, his voice low and steady. "So you all came."

The man tilted his head, his lips curling into a smirk. He was enjoying this. Every second of it.

"You've been waiting for this moment, haven't you?" Kimchi muttered under her breath, her gaze unwavering.

The man's grin widened as he slowly, deliberately reached up and pulled the mask off his face. The room went silent, every pair of eyes locked on him as the mask revealed...

"Holy shit, you are NOT James," Sophie blurted, her words hanging in the air like a heavy weight.

The man didn't flinch, his expression darkening. "You're right. James was just the tip of the iceberg. He was my servant."

A cold wave of realization crashed over the group. This wasn't just a random killer. This was something much worse. Someone they hadn't even considered.

Rosemarie stepped forward, her voice shaky but firm. "So you were behind all of this... Felicia, James... EVERYTHING!"

The man nodded, his expression unreadable. "And Aaron. How you turned my daughter against me." His eyes bore into Aaron with a venomous stare, each word dripping with resentment.

Aaron's chest tightened. He'd suspected something was off, but this... this was more than he could have imagined.

"Jesus Christ," Aaron muttered under his breath. "Who would've thought that the serial killer was—"

"Me," the man interrupted, his voice sharp and unforgiving.

Sophie stepped forward, her hands trembling at her sides. The shock still hadn't worn off. "So... it's you! You did this! Are you even my father, Frank?!"

Frank's eyes flashed with something Sophie couldn't place—regret? Anger? A twisted kind of satisfaction?

"Yes, Sophie," he said slowly, his voice like ice. "I am your father."

The words hit Sophie like a punch to the gut. Her father. The one person she had always believed to be someone else. The one person she thought she could trust—had always trusted—was the very thing she'd been running from.

Erron, standing beside her, shook his head in disbelief. "You are a fucking asshole, Frank."

Frank's lips twitched into an almost amused smile. "As ass as I might be," he said with a dark chuckle, "at least I am an honest asshole."

The group stood in stunned silence, the weight of the revelation sinking in. Sophie felt her world shift beneath her feet, the ground beneath her suddenly unstable. She had always known her father to be someone distant, cold, but this? This was something she could never have prepared for.

"You've been hunting us, all this time," Sophie said, her voice barely above a whisper, but there was no mistaking the fury behind her words. "Why? Why us? What did we ever do to you?"

Frank's eyes softened, just for a moment, before hardening again. "You were always meant to be mine, Sophie. You're my legacy."

Sophie recoiled at his words. The idea of being tied to him, to everything he stood for, was revolting.