Keanu sat motionless at the desk in his bedroom for a long time. Arman’s notebook was still open in front of him, but ever since he’d read the last sentence, his mind had felt overwhelmed.
“Your father isn’t the man you think he is.”
The sentence kept echoing in his head.
Keanu didn’t want to believe it right away. After all, the man who had raised him all this time was his father. The man who had taught him to ride a bike, stayed by his side when he was sick, and always worked hard for their family.
But on the other hand, why was everyone keeping the same secret?
Why did everyone change whenever Arman’s name came up?
Keanu picked up the notebook again.
He opened the next page.
Arman’s handwriting stretched across more and more of the page.
“Keanu, you may wonder why I never came to see you. You may think I was a coward for choosing to leave. But there was a reason I couldn’t explain at the time.”
Keanu read slowly.
“There was an incident that caused many people to misunderstand what happened. I knew your family would hate me. I knew that one day you might come looking for answers.”
Keanu paused for a moment.
“So my father and mother have hated him all this time?”
He continued reading.
“But I never hated them. I knew they were only trying to protect you.”
Keanu furrowed his brow.
If that was true, why did his father look like he was hiding something?
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Keanu?”
It was his father’s voice.
Keanu quickly closed the notebook.
“Come in.”
The door opened slowly.
His father entered and looked toward Keanu’s desk.
His eyes immediately fell on the notebook lying there.
“You found it.”
Keanu didn’t answer.
His father sat in the chair near the door.
“I figured you would.”
“Why have you never told me about Arman?”
His father lowered his head.
“Because I didn’t know where to start.”
“Start with the truth.”
Keanu’s voice was firmer now.
“I found out a lot today, Dad. I met Ratna. I know Arman is my biological father.”
The room immediately fell silent.
His father looked at Keanu.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Finally, his father let out a sigh.
“So Ratna was the one who told you.”
Keanu nodded.
“Is it true?”
His father didn’t answer right away.
And his silence made Keanu even more certain.
“Have I been living all this time with a story that wasn’t completely true?”
His father stood up.
“Keanu, listen to me.”
“No, Dad. Now I’m the one who wants to listen.”
Keanu held back his emotions.
“Why did everyone decide I didn’t need to know who I really was?”
His father looked sad.
“Because we didn’t have a choice back then.”
“That’s always the answer.”
“I’m serious.”
“Then explain it.”
His father walked toward the window.
“Arman was my best friend.”
Keanu fell silent.
“Before you were born, Arman and I were like brothers. We did so many things together.”
“And then?”
His father drew a breath.
“Then a serious problem came up.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Someone was after Arman.”
“Why?”
“Because Arman had learned something he was never supposed to know.”
Keanu felt even more confused.
“Something about what?”
His father looked at him.
“Our family.”
Keanu said nothing.
“What does that have to do with me?”
His father didn’t answer.
That answer made Keanu even more uncomfortable.
“Dad.”
At last, his father spoke quietly.
“Because before Arman left, he entrusted you to me.”
Keanu was stunned.
“Entrusted me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew he couldn’t protect you at the time.”
Keanu stared at his father.
“So you’re not my biological father?”
His father was silent for a moment.
“No.”
Even though Keanu had already suspected it, hearing it directly from his father felt different.
A hollow feeling rose inside him.
“But I’ve always considered you my son.”
Keanu looked at the man in front of him.
“I know.”
“Not for a single day have I ever thought of you as anything else.”
Keanu lowered his head.
He believed him.
Because his father really had always been there for him.
“But why did Arman leave?”
His father looked hesitant.
“Because he wanted to find a way to resolve the problem.”
“And he never came back?”
His father slowly shook his head.
“Not yet.”
Keanu immediately looked up.
“Not yet?”
His father fell silent.
“So Arman is still alive?”
There was no answer.
But his father’s face was enough for Keanu to understand.
That night, Keanu couldn’t sleep.
Too many things had changed in a single day.
He was no longer just a boy curious about what was inside the attic.
Now he was searching for someone who might have been close to him all along without his realizing it.
At eleven that night, his phone rang again.
It was the same unknown number.
Keanu opened the message.
“Do you know about Arman now?”
Keanu immediately replied.
“Who are you?”
A few minutes later, a reply appeared.
“Someone who wants to help you find him.”
Keanu stared at the screen.
“Why should I trust you?”
The reply came quickly.
“Because I know where Arman is.”
Keanu’s heart began beating faster.
His hand tightened around the phone.
“Where?”
The screen showed that a message was being typed.
Then an address appeared.
An address that made Keanu stand up immediately.
Because it was the abandoned house that had stood at the end of the street near his home all this time.
A place he had never paid attention to in all these years.
Keanu grabbed his jacket.
He knew this might be a dangerous decision.
But he was already too close to the answer.
He left his room quietly so he wouldn’t wake anyone.
When he opened the front door of the house, Keanu saw something on the floor.
A small envelope.
His name was written on it.
In the same handwriting as the one in Arman’s notebook.
Keanu picked up the envelope.
And for the first time, he felt that someone really was waiting for him to uncover all these secrets.