One by one, they stopped responding.
Each time another woman disappeared, I watched the happiness drain from my father’s face.
At first, I assumed he was simply experiencing the usual problems that came with modern dating. But eventually, the pattern became far too strange to ignore.
Dad began blaming himself.
Maybe he was too old-fashioned.
Maybe mentioning my mother made women uncomfortable.
Maybe there was something about him that drove them away.
I knew that wasn’t true.
Desperate to figure out what was happening, I asked my closest friend Rachel to go on a date with him and discreetly observe how things went.
The evening went perfectly.
Afterward, Rachel called me and said my father had been charming, considerate, funny, and completely respectful.
For the first time, I thought we might finally understand what was going on.
Then Rachel vanished the next morning.
A short message arrived from her, but I immediately knew something was wrong.
When she eventually contacted me again, she revealed something terrifying.
Not long after her date with my father, Rachel had started receiving anonymous messages telling her to stay away from him.
Whoever was sending them knew where she lived, where she worked, and even a deeply personal secret involving her brother, Graham.
Then Rachel received a photograph of herself leaving the restaurant with my father.
Someone had been following them.
I confronted my father immediately, expecting anger or confusion.
Instead, I saw fear on his face.
Together, we checked the security footage around his house and discovered a stranger lingering near his driveway shortly after Rachel’s date.
