Rebecca shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Your father… he was involved in something. Something dangerous. I tried to protect you both, but—”

Her words were cut off by the sound of a loud crash from the hallway, and we all jumped, hearts racing.

I moved instinctively towards Lily, pulling her close as we turned to face the source of the noise.

But the hallway was empty, just shadows and the flickering candlelight. Yet the sensation of being watched, of something lurking just beyond the edge of sight, was overwhelming.

“We need to leave,” Rebecca said suddenly, her voice firm with a resolve that hadn’t been there before. “Both of you. Now.”

As we hurried out of the funeral home, the night air cold against our skin, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. My father, in death as in life, had left us with a mystery. And, like Lily, I was determined to uncover it.