Chapter 11: The Mother Who Knew Too Much
I almost hung up.
Almost.
But something stopped me.
Maybe it was the fear in her voice.
Maybe it was the fact that after everything I had learned, I needed answers.
“Where are you?””
There was a pause.
“Not at home.””
“Why?””
“Because someone has been watching my house.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Mom, what are you talking about?””
“I should have told you years ago.””
The words hit me.
Years ago.
Not weeks.
Not months.
Years.
“Tell me the truth.””
She started crying.
“I made a mistake.””
I closed my eyes.
I hated that sentence.
Everyone said it after they hurt you.
A mistake.
Like betrayal was an accident.
“What mistake?””
“I introduced Rebecca to you.””
I looked toward the stairs.
Emily was sleeping upstairs.
Safe.
For now.
“Why?””
My mother was silent.
Then:
“Because I thought she could help us.””
Help us.
Those two words terrified me.
“Help us with what?””
“With Emily.””
My chest tightened.
“Explain.””
“I was worried about you.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Worried about me?””
“You were drowning after Sarah died.””
She wasn’t wrong.
I had been broken.
I barely slept.
I forgot to eat.
I struggled to be both a grieving husband and a father.
“But that doesn’t explain Rebecca.””
My mother whispered:
“Rebecca came to me.””
I froze.
“She found me.””
“How?””
“She knew about Sarah. She knew about Emily.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“She knew?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
My mother cried.
“Because she had been following your family.””
I felt cold.
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
“That’s not good enough.””
“I know.””
Her voice broke.
“I know.””
I sat down.
For years, I believed grief was the hardest thing I would survive.
I was wrong.
The hardest thing was discovering the people around you were hiding the truth.
“Mom.””
“Yes?””
“Did you help her?””
A long silence.
Then:
“Yes.””
The word was barely audible.
But it destroyed me.
I covered my face.
“How?””
“I gave her information.””
“What information?””
“Your schedule. Your struggles. What you needed.””
My voice shook.
“You gave a stranger information about my daughter.””
“I thought she wanted to help.””
“You thought?””
My mother cried.
“I was wrong.””
I stood up and walked toward the window.
Outside, the street was quiet.
Too quiet.
“Why are you telling me now?””
“Because Rebecca threatened me.””
That caught my attention.
“What?””
“She said if I didn’t cooperate, she would tell you everything.””
“And now she has.””
“No.””
My mother’s voice became urgent.
“Daniel, she hasn’t told you the worst part.””
My stomach tightened.
“What worst part?””
“She didn’t want Emily gone because she hated her.””
I waited.
“She wanted Emily gone because Emily was the only person who could expose her.””
I froze.
“What does that mean?””
My mother whispered:
“Sarah left evidence.””
“What evidence?””
“I don’t know.””
“Mom.””
“I swear. I only knew Sarah was keeping something.””
Something.
Another secret.
Another hidden piece.
I looked upstairs.
Emily was the reason everyone was fighting.
But why?
A seven-year-old child didn’t have secrets.
Unless the secret wasn’t hers.
It belonged to the adults around her.
The next morning, I went through Sarah’s old belongings.
Boxes I hadn’t opened since she died.
Clothes.
Letters.
Memories.
Then I found something hidden beneath the lining of an old photo album.
A small USB drive.
My hands shook.
There was a note attached.
My name.
Daniel.
I found the truth.
But I was afraid.
If anything happens to me, show this to Emily when she is old enough.
Not before.
I stared at the words.
Show this to Emily.
Not me.
Emily.
Why?
I plugged the drive into my computer.
One video file appeared.
Created three days before Sarah died.
I clicked play.
Sarah appeared on the screen.
Older.
Tired.
Scared.
I stopped breathing.
“Daniel,” she said softly.
“If you’re watching this, something happened.””
Tears filled my eyes.
Her voice.
After all this time.
Her voice.
She looked directly into the camera.
“I need you to listen carefully.””
She took a breath.
“Rebecca is not the biggest danger.””
My heart stopped.
Sarah continued.
“The person helping her is someone you would never suspect.””
The video suddenly glitched.
May you like
Then Sarah said one final sentence before the screen went black.
“The person who betrayed us is the person Emily calls…”
