Chapter 12: The Night I Lost My First Baby
I couldn't move.
Three years earlier, I had been twelve weeks pregnant.
Tyler and I had spent an entire weekend choosing names. He had insisted we buy a tiny yellow blanket because we didn't know whether the baby would be a boy or a girl.
Then one rainy evening, everything changed.
I remembered waking up in the passenger seat of Tyler's car.
The windshield wipers were moving frantically.
My lower back hurt.
Tyler was driving too fast.
"Slow down," I'd whispered.
"We're almost there.""
I remembered a horn.
A flash of headlights.
Then the sound of metal crashing against metal.
After that, I remembered waking up in a hospital.
Tyler had been sitting beside my bed, holding my hand.
The doctor told me I'd lost the pregnancy.
Tyler cried.
He told everyone he'd swerved to avoid another vehicle.
I believed him.
I had never questioned the story.
Until now.
"Mom," I whispered, "what accident was Dad talking about?""
My mother took my hand.
"Your father hired someone to investigate the crash.""
I stared at her.
"Why?""
"Because Tyler's explanation didn't match the damage to the car.""
Sarah immediately asked, "Do you know who conducted the investigation?""
"Your father's former attorney. A man named James Whitmore.""
Sarah wrote down the name.
My mother continued.
"James found photographs of the vehicle and spoke to someone who had been near the scene.""
"Who?""
"A delivery driver. He said another vehicle had been following Tyler's car for several miles.""
I felt sick.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?""
"Your father wanted proof before he said anything. He didn't want to accuse your husband without evidence.""
I closed my eyes.
I remembered Tyler telling me that my father was obsessed with making him look bad.
I'd defended my husband.
I'd even accused Dad of trying to ruin my marriage.
Now I wondered how many warnings I'd ignored.
Sarah called James Whitmore's office.
He was retired, but his assistant confirmed he still maintained certain archived case files.
After explaining the circumstances, Sarah arranged for him to send the relevant records.
While we waited, Michael received a call from the cruise company's compliance department.
He stepped into the hallway.
When he returned, his face was grim.
"They found something.""
"What?"" I asked.
"Vanessa's personnel file contains an emergency contact who is connected to Richard Cole.""
"Who?""
"Daniel Wilson.""
My brother.
Michael continued.
"Her original employment application was submitted using a reference from Daniel. That means she may have known about your family before she ever boarded the ship.""
Rebecca shook her head.
"She didn't meet Tyler by accident.""
"No," Michael replied.
"It appears the relationship was deliberately arranged.""
I looked down at Piper.
She was sleeping peacefully, one tiny hand resting beside her cheek.
"Why would they do this to me?""
Nobody answered.
Then Sarah's phone rang.
It was James Whitmore.
She put him on speaker.
"Mr. Whitmore, thank you for returning my call. I'm here with Emily Wilson.""
The older man's voice sounded tired.
"Emily. I've been hoping someone would contact me about this.""
I leaned forward.
"You investigated my accident?""
"Yes. Your father hired me because he believed the collision wasn't properly explained.""
"Was it deliberate?""
There was a long pause.
"I can't make that conclusion without further investigation. But I found evidence that another vehicle was involved.""
"What kind?""
"A black SUV. It was registered to a company associated with Richard Cole.""
My fingers went numb.
"Did you identify the driver?""
"We found a witness who claimed to recognize someone getting out of the SUV.""
"Who?""
James hesitated.
Then he answered.
"Your brother, Daniel.""
I covered my mouth.
Sarah asked, "Was that included in the original report?""
"Yes. But there was a problem. The witness withdrew his statement two weeks later.""
"Why?""
"He received a substantial payment.""
I stared at the floor.
"Did my father know?""
"Yes. He was furious. He told me someone had offered the witness money to stay quiet.""
I swallowed.
"Was Tyler involved?""
James took a breath.
"Emily, there's something I never understood. Tyler claimed he had been driving alone. But the hospital records indicated he had no significant injuries, despite the extent of the vehicle damage.""
I felt my heart racing.
"Where was he?""
"According to the original police report, he was listed as the driver. But one photograph showed the driver's seat had been pushed forward considerably.""
I frowned.
"What does that mean?""
"It suggested someone smaller may have been driving.""
I looked at my mother.
She was crying silently.
Sarah asked the next question.
"Do you still have the original photographs?""
"Yes. And I have something else.""
"What?""
"A copy of the witness's first statement.""
James paused.
"Before he withdrew it, he said the person driving the black SUV was not Daniel.""
I felt my throat tighten.
"Then who?""
James answered quietly.
"Your husband.""
The room went completely silent.
I could hear my own heartbeat.
Tyler had been driving the SUV that followed us.
My brother had been there.
And somehow, the man who held my hand in the hospital afterward had convinced me the miscarriage was simply a tragic accident.
I looked at Sarah.
"We need to find Tyler.""
She nodded.
"We'll contact the appropriate authorities and preserve every document.""
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of a hospital parking lot.
Tyler was standing beside a black SUV.
The date stamp showed the day of my miscarriage.
Beneath the photograph was a message.
You finally know what happened. But you still don't know why Tyler needed that baby gone.
I stared at the words.
Then another message appeared.
Your father found out the baby wasn't his.
I stopped breathing.
The room blurred.
I read it again.
My first pregnancy.
The baby I'd mourned for three years.
The child Tyler had claimed to lose alongside me.
And now someone was suggesting the child hadn't been his.
I looked at Sarah.
"Who sent this?""
She shook her head.
Before she could answer, my phone rang.
This time, the caller ID showed Tyler's name.
I answered.
His voice was trembling.
"Emily, don't believe anything they tell you.""
I gripped the phone.
"Was our first baby yours?""
Silence.
Then Tyler whispered:
"There's something about that pregnancy you never knew.""
"Tell me.""
He took a shaky breath.
"Your father knew the truth. And that's why he had to be stopped.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"What did you do to my father, Tyler?""
His answer came so quietly I almost missed it.
"I didn't kill him, Emily.""
May you like
A pause.
"But I know who did.""
