I returned to the beach house for lunch to wait out the heat and saw Nikolas there, with a bouquet of blue irises on the table.

“I brought you flowers for your mood,” Nikolas said.

“Thank you, these are my favorites. Can you read minds or something?” I asked.

“Something like that,” Nikolas said.

At first, I thought it was just a sweet coincidence, but as time went on, the coincidences kept happening.

Nikolas knew I was allergic to pollen and replaced all the pillows in the house, even though I hadn’t mentioned it.

He knew I could drive a boat and rented one for me for the day. He even knew which fruits I liked and brought them to me, bananas, grapes, and apples, just like Dad used to.

It started to freak me out. How could he know all this? Was it just a coincidence?

I could’ve brushed it off, telling myself that maybe Dad had mentioned these things to him. But when Dad used to come here, the owner was a woman. It didn’t make sense.

Every time I turned around, there was something else that made me uncomfortable.

I thought about asking him directly, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear the answer.

My heart raced whenever I saw him, unsure of whether he was just being kind or if something darker was happening.

One day, after running into Nikolas, I finally decided to ask him. “Nikolas, did you know my father?”

“Uhh… no,” he answered, looking puzzled. “I’ve only been the owner of the house for a year. Before, it was managed by my mom, but she passed away, unfortunately.”

“My condolences,” I said, feeling a little awkward. “But my father used to come here all the time. He spent so much time here.”

Nikolas seemed to hesitate. “Yeah, I heard stories about him from my mom. She said he was a good man.”

I felt a strange knot in my stomach. “Did she ever mention anything else? Anything about… his life here?”

Nikolas shook his head. “No, nothing like that.”

That night, I woke up to strange noises, like someone was in the house. I grabbed my phone and went to check, but after looking around the whole place, I didn’t find anyone, just an open window in the kitchen, which I was sure I had closed. I went back to bed, deciding it was just my imagination.

But in the morning, on the kitchen table, I saw something that hadn’t been there the night before.

A photo of my father sitting on the beach with some woman. It wasn’t labeled, just sitting there.

A shiver ran down my spine. Had Nikolas come into the house while I was asleep? This was getting really weird, and I even considered moving to another house.

One day, while walking along the beach, I felt a strange sensation, like someone was watching me.

But when I looked around, I didn’t see anyone. I kept walking until I heard rustling and footsteps in the bushes. They were getting faster. I turned around and saw Nikolas there!

“WHAT THE—??” I yelled, until but covered my mouth.

“PLEASE, BE QUIET! Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, releasing me from his arms.

“Are you stalking me?!” I yelled.

“It’s not what it seems,” Nikolas said.

“This is too much! I need to know the truth! How do you know so much about me? Why are you watching me?!” I yelled.

“Did you find the photo I left?” Nikolas asked.

“Yeah, I found the damn photo! Do you understand how not normal this is? Coming into the house at night while I’m sleeping?!” I yelled.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you. I just thought you’d be happy to see a photo of your father,” Nikolas said.

“How did you know it was my father? You said you didn’t know him, and the photo wasn’t labeled,” I said.

“Umm… well… uh,” Nikolas hesitated.

“So, you did know him?” I asked.

“He wouldn’t want me to tell you this, he wanted to tell you himself,” Nikolas said.

“Guess what, Nikolas? He can’t tell me anything anymore!” I yelled.

“Okay, let’s sit somewhere, and I’ll explain everything,” Nikolas said.

We sat on a bench by the seafront, and Nikolas sighed heavily. “Max came here before I was born. He became friends with my mom,” he said.

“So, he was a family friend?” I asked.

“Not exactly. Eventually, the friendship turned into something more,” Nikolas said.

“What? Are you saying my dad had an affair? I don’t believe you, he loved my mom so much,” I said.

“That’s why the affair didn’t last long. Max realized he couldn’t do that to his wife, and they separated,” Nikolas said.

“But he kept coming here?” I asked.

Nikolas nodded. “Soon after they separated, my mom found out she was pregnant,” he said.

“With you?” I asked.

Nikolas nodded. “That’s why he kept coming here, to help raise me,” he said.

I sat there in shock, staring at the sea, unable to find the words. “So, you’re my brother?” I finally asked.

“Half-brother, but yeah. That’s why I was acting so weird,” Nikolas said.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Your dad talked so much about you, I felt like I already knew you,” Nikolas said.

“And he never told me anything about you,” I said.

“Yeah, I know,” Nikolas said.

“I can’t believe it! What a jerk! He lived here with another family while my mom waited for him at home!” I screamed.

“He was afraid it would ruin his marriage,” Nikolas said.

“But that’s not fair to you!” I yelled. “You didn’t deserve to be someone’s secret your whole life.”

“My life wasn’t that bad,” Nikolas said.

“This is unreal. I thought I knew my father, but it turns out he had this whole secret life,” I said.

“He still loved you very much,” Nikolas said.

“Maybe you’re right, but this… it all feels like a made-up story,” I said.

“I’ve lived like this, so it’s hard for me to judge. What will you do? Will you tell your mom?” Nikolas asked.

“Probably not. Let her think she had a good husband and knew all his secrets,” I said.

“I see,” Nikolas said.

“But I’d like to stay in touch with you. You can even come visit me,” I said.

“Really?” Nikolas asked, hope in his voice.

“Yeah, you’re my younger brother,” I said, and he smiled.

We sat there, watching the calm sea, the sea where my father had hidden so many secrets, and they had finally come to the surface.

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