Rachel showed me the threatening messages. Whoever sent them had warned her never to contact my father again, making it clear that someone was watching his movements. I immediately told my father, and together we decided to investigate rather than let fear control us.

We reviewed security footage from his house and spotted a suspicious figure near the driveway. The person wore white sneakers with a distinctive dark stripe. Something about those shoes seemed familiar, and after watching the footage repeatedly, I thought of my aunt Sabrina, my mother’s younger sister. She had supported us after my mother’s death, but lately, she had become unusually interested in my father’s dating life. When I confronted her and mentioned the footage, her expression changed. After trying to avoid my questions, she finally confessed. She had been monitoring his dates and frightening the women away. Her excuse left me speechless: she claimed she was protecting my mother’s memory, convinced that my father finding another partner would erase the woman he had loved.