Chapter 13: The Woman Who Came Back
I drove to Rachel’s house faster than I ever had before.
My hands were shaking so badly that I had to grip the steering wheel with both hands just to keep control.
For seven years, I had believed the people closest to me were my protection.
My parents.
My husband.
My best friend.
But every person I trusted had been connected to a secret.
And now Melissa was back.
The woman I thought abandoned me.
The woman everyone blamed.
The woman who might have been trying to tell me the truth all along.
When I pulled into Rachel’s driveway, I saw her immediately.
Melissa stood beside the sidewalk.
Older.
Tired.
Her dark hair was shorter than I remembered.
But her eyes were the same.
The same eyes that used to cry with me during college heartbreaks.
The same eyes that once promised we would always be sisters.
She looked at me.
And tears filled her face.
“Lauren.””
I stopped several feet away.
“You’re alive.””
Her lips trembled.
“I never stopped being alive.””
“Then why did you disappear?””
She looked down.
“Because I was scared.””
I almost laughed.
“Everyone says that.””
Melissa nodded.
“I know.””
Ethan arrived behind me.
Melissa immediately saw him.
Her expression changed.
“You told her.””
Ethan looked away.
“She found out.””
“No.””
Melissa shook her head.
“She found out because everything finally fell apart.””
The words hurt because they were true.
I stepped forward.
“Tell me everything.””
Melissa looked toward Rachel’s house.
“Not here.””
“Why?””
“Because if they know I’m back, they’ll come after the evidence.””
I stared at her.
“Who?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Your mother.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
My own mother.
The woman who held my hand when I gave birth.
The woman who baked Ava’s birthday cakes.
The woman who told me she loved me every day.
“She changed the records?””
Melissa shook her head.
“Not alone.””
I looked at Ethan.
Then back at her.
“Who?””
Melissa took a deep breath.
“Your mother discovered what Richard was doing. She didn’t start it. But she helped him hide it.””
I felt sick.
“And you?””
“I found out.””
“When?””
“The night Ava was born.””
I stepped closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Melissa’s eyes filled with tears.
“I tried.””
My anger softened for half a second.
“What happened?””
“Your mother begged me not to.””
I frowned.
“Begged?””
“She told me if the truth came out, you would lose everything.””
“That wasn’t her choice.””
“I know.””
Melissa looked at Ethan.
“But then Ethan got involved.””
He looked down.
“I made a mistake.””
Melissa laughed bitterly.
“A mistake?””
She turned toward him.
“You took money.””
“I know.””
“You let Lauren believe I abandoned her.””
“I know.””
I looked between them.
The pain was almost too much.
Melissa reached into her coat pocket.
Then she handed me a small envelope.
“I kept this for seven years.””
I looked at it.
“What is it?””
“The original copy.””
My breath stopped.
“Of what?””
“The order that changed everything.””
My fingers closed around the envelope.
“Why give it to me now?””
“Because I finally found the person who was behind it.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a copy of the hospital authorization.
But this one had something different.
A signature.
A handwritten note.
And a name.
My eyes moved across the page.
Then froze.
Not my mother.
Not my father.
Not Ethan.
A different name.
A name I had heard before.
A name that made no sense.
I looked at Melissa.
“This person?””
She nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why would they do this?””
Melissa’s voice became quiet.
“Because Ava wasn’t the only child affected.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
Melissa looked toward the street.
“Your father wasn’t trying to hide one mistake.””
She swallowed.
“He was hiding a pattern.””
My heart pounded.
“What pattern?””
Before Melissa could answer, a car stopped at the end of the street.
A black SUV.
The door opened.
A person stepped out.
Melissa’s face changed.
“No.””
I turned.
“Who is that?””
May you like
She whispered:
“The person who has been watching me for three years.””
