The Memory Keeper: Twisted Roots

Khai's POV

I woke up gasping for air, my body drenched in sweat as the nightmare gripped me once again. The same memory, the same suffocating grief-my mother dying in my arms, my father's betrayal haunting me. It had been two years, but the pain still felt raw, a wound that never truly healed.

I reached for the bottle of whiskey on the table beside me, desperate for something to numb the ache deep within me. As I uncapped the bottle, a flashback hit me hard, like a wave crashing against the shore. I closed my eyes, letting the memory take me back to that day.

Flashback:

It had been the day after my mother's memorial service. The air around the cemetery was heavy with sorrow, the weight of loss pressing down on me. I stood at my father's tombstone, my mind a tangled mess of anger and confusion. And then, out of nowhere, he appeared-Frederick Whitmore.

I froze, caught off guard by his sudden presence. There was something about him, something unsettling yet familiar, though I couldn't place it.

"You really look like your mother," he said, his voice calm, almost too calm for the situation. His eyes studied me like he could see straight through to my soul.

He took a slow step forward. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm sorry about your mother."

I felt my pulse quicken, my anger flaring as I spoke through gritted teeth. "What do you want from me?" I demanded. The bitterness in my voice was impossible to hide. "Isn't it enough that you took the life of the person I knew as my father? The person who I thought had some love for me, despite everything? My real father wasn't even there." The words burned in my chest, but I couldn't stop them.

Frederick didn't flinch. He simply looked at me with a sad, understanding expression. "I didn't kill Lucan, Khai. And I didn't kill Victoria." His voice was steady, unwavering, but there was a rawness to it, a depth of sorrow that mirrored my own.

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "You expect me to believe that? You've been chasing revenge for years, making me think it was all part of some sick game, and now you're trying to tell me you're innocent in all this?"

He sighed, a soft, resigned sound. "Yes, I wanted revenge. I wanted to make them pay for what they did to me, to you, to my father. But I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't do what they said I did. I'm not a killer."

He paused for a moment, his eyes hardening with something deeper-regret, maybe? "Your mother was the love of my life, Khai. And I'll never forget how she tried to protect you-how she wanted to warn you, to keep you safe from Letty, from those you thought were allies."

I stared at him, my emotions a whirlwind inside me. "You expect me to trust you now? After everything?" My voice was thick with disbelief.

Frederick didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step closer, lowering his voice. "If you're ready to hear the truth, meet me where you and your mother used to go when you were younger. I'll explain everything, Khai. I'll tell you what they've been hiding from you."

Before I could respond, I heard footsteps approaching. I turned quickly, my heart racing, and when I looked back to where Frederick had stood-he was gone. Just vanished, as if he had never been there at all.

I was left standing there alone, the cold breeze tugging at my skin, my thoughts a tangled mess of confusion and anger. What did he mean? What was the truth he was talking about? And why did I feel like I had just missed something important?

I stood there for a long time, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air, knowing that whatever came next would change everything.

The knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, the remnants of my nightmare still clinging to the edges of my mind. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand-4:30 AM. Time was moving too fast. I took a deep breath before opening the door, expecting to see someone else, but it was Jane.