For several seconds, neither of us moved.
\nThe words echoed in my head.
\nHe\u2019s been waiting twelve years for you to come.
\nI looked at Mary Lou.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\nShe shook her head quickly.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nBut I could tell she was lying.
\nAnother knock hit the front door.
\nThis time, harder.
\n\u201cMary Lou,\u201d I whispered, \u201ctell me the truth.\u201d
\nHer eyes filled with panic.
\n\u201cMom, please. Not now.\u201d
\nThe man outside spoke again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mary Lou listened.
\nThen her face changed.
\n\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d
\nShe swallowed.
\n\u201cHe said your full name.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cTheresa Anne Walker.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I stared at her.
\n\u201cHow does he know that?\u201d
\nMary Lou grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the office door.
\n\u201cWe need to leave.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a back entrance through the kitchen.\u201d
\nWe hurried downstairs.
\nEvery step felt too loud.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As we reached the kitchen, someone tried the front door handle.
\nOnce.
\nTwice.
\nThen the door shook violently.
\nMary Lou opened a cabinet near the refrigerator and pulled out a small envelope.
\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d
\n\u201cPassports. Cash. Emergency numbers.\u201d
\n\u201cYou keep those in the kitchen?\u201d
\n\u201cI keep something in every room.\u201d
\nThat answer hurt more than I expected.
\nMy daughter had spent years preparing to run.
\nWe reached the back door.
\nMary Lou stopped.
\nHer hand froze on the lock.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI whispered.
\nShe stared through the small window.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s someone outside.\u201d
\nA shadow moved past the garden wall.
\nWe were trapped.
\nThe front door rattled again.
\nThen everything became silent.
\nThat silence frightened me more than the knocking.
\nMary Lou grabbed my shoulders.
\n\u201cMom, listen carefully. If anything happens, you take the flash drive and go to the American embassy.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not leaving you.\u201d
\n\u201cYou have to.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\n\u201cNo!\u201d
\nFor the first time, my voice rose.
\n\u201cI lost twelve years with you. I am not walking away now.\u201d
\nTears filled her eyes.
\nBefore she could respond, the front door opened.
\nNot broke.
\nOpened.
\nMary Lou\u2019s face went white.
\n\u201cThey have a key.\u201d
\nFootsteps entered the house.
\nSlow.
\nCalm.
\nThere was no rushing.
\nThat made it worse.
\nA man called out from the living room.
\n\u201cMary Lou.\u201d
\nHe spoke English this time.
\nPerfect English.
\n\u201cWe are not here to hurt your mother.\u201d
\nMary Lou whispered, \u201cStay behind me.\u201d
\nThree men entered the kitchen.
\nThe one in front looked to be in his late fifties, dressed in a dark charcoal suit. His hair was silver at the temples, and his expression was almost polite.
\nThe other two men remained several feet behind him.
\nThe older man looked at Mary Lou.
\nThen at me.
\n\u201cMrs. Walker.\u201d
\nI felt my hands turn cold.
\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d
\nHe gave a slight bow.
\n\u201cMy name is Daniel Han.\u201d
\nMary Lou stiffened beside me.
\n\u201cYou need to leave.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at her calmly.
\n\u201cWe both know that isn\u2019t possible.\u201d
\nHe turned to me.
\n\u201cI apologize for frightening you.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew I was coming?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\nHe glanced at Mary Lou.
\n\u201cYour daughter has been watched for many years.\u201d
\nMary Lou stepped forward.
\n\u201cYou promised.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression changed slightly.
\n\u201cI promised Kang Jun.\u201d
\nAt the sound of her husband\u2019s name, the room went still.
\nI looked between them.
\n\u201cYou knew my son-in-law?\u201d
\nDaniel nodded.
\n\u201cVery well.\u201d
\nMary Lou whispered, \u201cDon\u2019t listen to him.\u201d
\nBut Daniel continued.
\n\u201cKang Jun and I worked together for almost fifteen years.\u201d
\n\u201cDoing what?\u201d
\nI asked.
\n\u201cThings I am not proud of.\u201d
\nMary Lou laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s one way of describing it.\u201d
\nDaniel ignored her.
\n\u201cYour son-in-law knew he was in danger long before he died.\u201d
\nI felt the flash drive pressing against the inside of my coat.
\n\u201cWho killed him?\u201d
\nDaniel looked directly at Mary Lou.
\n\u201cAsk your daughter.\u201d
\nI turned toward her.
\nMary Lou\u2019s face collapsed.
\n\u201cWhat is he talking about?\u201d
\nShe shook her head.
\n\u201cMom, please.\u201d
\n\u201cMary Lou.\u201d
\nDaniel spoke quietly.
\n\u201cShe knows exactly what happened the night Kang Jun died.\u201d
\nMy heart began racing.
\nFor twelve years, I had imagined every terrible possibility.
\nBut I had never imagined this.
\n\u201cDid you see him die?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nMary Lou started crying.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nThe word was barely audible.
\nDaniel stepped closer.
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t just see it.\u201d
\n\u201cStop.\u201d
\nMary Lou shouted.
\nThe two men behind Daniel moved slightly, but he raised his hand, telling them to stay back.
\nI stared at my daughter.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nMary Lou pressed both hands against the kitchen counter.
\n\u201cHe came home late that night.\u201d
\nHer voice trembled.
\n\u201cHe was bleeding.\u201d
\nI held my breath.
\n\u201cHe told me someone had betrayed him.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s face remained unreadable.
\nMary Lou continued.
\n\u201cHe gave me the flash drive and told me to hide it.\u201d
\nMy fingers instinctively moved toward my coat pocket.
\nDaniel noticed.
\nHis eyes dropped for half a second.
\nThen returned to my face.
\nMary Lou saw it too.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\nHer voice became urgent.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t move.\u201d
\nDaniel sighed.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want the drive.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d
\nI asked.
\n\u201cBecause what is on it can destroy more than criminals.\u201d
\nHe paused.
\n\u201cIt could destroy innocent families too.\u201d
\nMary Lou shook her head.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what Kang Jun told everyone to make them afraid.\u201d
\nDaniel turned toward her.
\n\u201cKang Jun lied about many things. Not that.\u201d
\nI felt as though I had stepped into someone else\u2019s life.
\n\u201cWhat exactly is on that thing?\u201d
\nDaniel answered.
\n\u201cBank records. Names. Dates. Payments. Government officials. Businessmen. Lawyers. Police officers.\u201d
\nMary Lou added quietly, \u201cAnd witnesses.\u201d
\nDaniel looked at her.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI suddenly understood.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why she sends me money.\u201d
\nDaniel nodded.
\n\u201cAt first, it was protection.\u201d
\nMary Lou looked at me.
\n\u201cI thought if they knew you had money, you could disappear if you needed to.\u201d
\nI felt tears rising.
\n\u201cAll these years, I thought you were taking care of me.\u201d
\n\u201cI was trying to keep you alive.\u201d
\nThe room went silent again.
\nThen Daniel reached slowly into his jacket.
\nMary Lou grabbed a knife from the counter.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d
\nDaniel stopped.
\nVery carefully, he removed a photograph.
\nHe placed it on the kitchen table.
\n\u201cYou need to see this.\u201d
\nI looked down.
\nThe photograph showed four people standing outside a restaurant.
\nKang Jun.
\nDaniel.
\nA younger Mary Lou.
\nAnd one other man.
\nMy breath caught.
\nI knew that fourth man.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI picked up the photograph.
\nMy hands began shaking.
\nMary Lou looked confused.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\nI stared at the face.
\nIt was impossible.
\nThe man in the photograph had been dead for more than twenty years.
\nAt least, that was what I had believed.
\nMary Lou touched my arm.
\n\u201cWho is he?\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t answer.
\nDaniel watched me carefully.
\n\u201cYou recognize him.\u201d
\nI nodded slowly.
\nMy throat felt tight.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s my husband.\u201d
\nMary Lou froze.
\n\u201cMy father?\u201d
\nI looked again.
\nSame eyes.
\nSame smile.
\nSame small scar near his chin.
\nThere was no doubt.
\nThe man standing beside Kang Jun was my husband.
\nThe man whose funeral I had attended.
\nThe man I had buried when Mary Lou was nine years old.
\nMary Lou grabbed the photograph.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nDaniel spoke quietly.
\n\u201cYour husband didn\u2019t die when you were told he did.\u201d
\nI looked up sharply.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe disappeared.\u201d
\nMy knees almost gave way.
\nMary Lou pulled out a chair for me.
\nDaniel continued.
\n\u201cYears later, he began working with Kang Jun.\u201d
\nI could barely breathe.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause your husband was involved long before your daughter ever met Kang Jun.\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cNo. He was an accountant.\u201d
\nDaniel gave me a sad look.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThat was exactly why they needed him.\u201d
\nMary Lou stared at me.
\n\u201cMom, did Dad ever talk about Korea?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDid he travel?\u201d
\n\u201cSometimes for work.\u201d
\n\u201cHow often?\u201d
\nI tried to remember.
\nWhen Mary Lou was little, her father traveled constantly.
\nChicago.
\nLos Angeles.
\nTokyo.
\nSingapore.
\nI had never asked many questions.
\nI trusted him.
\nDaniel sat across from me.
\n\u201cYour daughter did not meet Kang Jun by accident.\u201d
\nThe room seemed to tilt.
\n\u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d
\n\u201cKang Jun knew who she was before they met.\u201d
\nMary Lou\u2019s face went blank.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDaniel nodded.
\n\u201cHe approached her because of her father.\u201d
\nMary Lou stepped backward.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHe married her because he believed your husband had hidden something.\u201d
\nI stared at Daniel.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nDaniel pointed gently toward my coat.
\n\u201cThe same thing everyone has been searching for.\u201d
\nMy hand moved toward the flash drive.
\nDaniel shook his head.
\n\u201cNot that one.\u201d
\nI froze.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u201cThe flash drive contains copies.\u201d
\n\u201cCopies of what?\u201d
\nHe leaned forward.
\n\u201cThe original records.\u201d
\nMary Lou whispered, \u201cWhere are they?\u201d
\nDaniel looked at me.
\nAnd then he said something that made every secret of the last twelve years feel small.
\n\u201cTheresa, your husband sent the originals to you twenty-one years ago.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\n\u201cThey arrived disguised as ordinary family documents.\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cI never received anything.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s expression hardened.
\n\u201cYes, you did.\u201d
\nHe reached into his pocket again and placed an old photograph on the table.
\nIt showed the front of my house back in America.
\nMy house.
\nTaken years ago.
\nOn the back was a handwritten date.
\nDecember 19.
\nTwenty-one years earlier.
\nAnd beneath it were six words written in my husband\u2019s handwriting.
\nTHERESA HAS EVERYTHING. SHE JUST DOESN\u2019T KNOW\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
PART 3 \u2014 THE MAN WHO KNEW MY NAME For several seconds, neither of us moved. The words echoed in my head. He\u2019s been waiting twelve years for you to … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8130"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8137,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8130\/revisions\/8137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}