A Missing Key 218 Missed Calls One Family Secret novel Chapter 45

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The day the SAT scores came out, the atmosphere at home was tense.

Dad and Rebecca sat on the couch looking grim.

Jake was off to the side gleefully playing on his phone, occasionally looking up at me with pure malice in his eyes.

I walked over to them with my printed scores.

“Dad, Rebecca, I got my results.”

Dad took the score report. When he saw that near-perfect total score, his hands shook.

“Is… is this real?”

Rebecca leaned over to look too, and all the color drained from her face.

“Impossible! This can’t be possible!”

She shrieked, unable to believe her own eyes.

I pulled out my phone, opened a video, and placed it on the table.

The video clearly showed Rebecca in the car switching out my admission ticket-crystal clear picture and sound.

“Rebecca, were you looking for this?”

Rebecca’s face went deathly pale.

She looked at the video, then at me, her lips trembling, unable to say a word.

After Dad watched the video, he was shaking with rage, pointing at Rebecca and roaring, “You… you actually did something like this!”

Rebecca dropped to her knees with a thud, hugging Dad’s leg and sobbing.

“Honey, I was wrong! I just lost my head for a moment! I was scared Nora was too smart and Jake would…”

“Enough!”

Dad kicked her away.

11.20

A Missing Key 218 Missed Calls. One Family Secret

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He looked at me with complex emotions-anger, guilt, and a trace of fear.

He probably never expected that his “sick,” antisocial daughter could be this calculating and capable.

I put away my phone, watching their family drama with complete irony.

“I never wanted to compete with Jake for anything,” I said calmly.

“Your company, your money-I couldn’t care less about any of it.”

I turned to Rebecca, looking at her terrified face.

“All your scheming was just a waste of my time.”

My gaze was cold and disdainful.

“Because my goals were never here.”

Rebecca collapsed on the floor, instinctively backing away.

I stopped looking at them, turned around, and went to my room to fill out my college applications.

First choice, first major:

West Point.

I was going to find Mom.

At our family dinner, I announced my college choice.

The atmosphere instantly plummeted from celebrating my high scores to absolute zero.

Dad’s smile froze on his face.

“Nora, what are you thinking? Didn’t we agree you’d study finance so you could…”

“I don’t want to study finance.”

I cut him off.

“I already submitted my application. My acceptance letter should be here soon.”

Dad’s face darkened. “Why do you insist on joining the military? It’s hard and exhausting, and for a girl…”

“Because I’m going to find Mom.”

11:26

A Missing Koy 218 Missed Calls One Family Secret

22.21

Chapter 6

When I said this, the entire dining room went silent.

Dad slumped back in his chair like all the energy had been drained from him.

Rebecca and Jake looked like they were watching a show.

“Nora, how long are you going to keep lying to yourself!” Dad growled. “Your mother sacrificed her life!”

“No, she didn’t.”

I looked at him with steady eyes.

“Dad, do you remember when I was fifteen and had complications during my appendix surgery?”

He paused, then nodded.

“I remember. It was really dangerous-the hospital blood bank didn’t have enough of your blood type…”

“I have Rh-negative blood. It’s extremely rare.”

I continued his thought. “The doctor said they couldn’t find any in the entire city’s blood banks, but you used some special connections to get a bag that saved my life.”

“Yeah,” Dad’s eyes flickered evasively. “I… pulled some strings.”

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