Chapter 12: The Name Sarah Couldn’t Say
The video ended.
The screen went black.
But Sarah’s last words stayed in my head.
“The person who betrayed us is the person Emily calls…”
The recording cut off.
I sat there for several minutes.
Unable to move.
Unable to think.
Someone Emily calls.
Who?
A person she trusted.
A person she loved.
A person close enough to hurt her.
I replayed the video.
Again.
And again.
Nothing.
The file ended at the same moment.
I called Mark.
He arrived twenty minutes later.
When he saw Sarah’s face on the screen, he stopped.
“Daniel.””
“I found this.””
He watched silently.
When it ended, he looked disturbed.
“Did she ever mention anything like this?””
“No.””
“Anyone suspicious?””
I thought.
Then my eyes moved upstairs.
Emily.
Her routines.
Her life.
The people around her.
I whispered:
“Everyone.””
Mark sat down.
“We need to be careful.””
“I know.””
“No. Daniel.””
His voice was serious.
“You need to understand. Whoever this person is, they have been close to your family for years.””
I looked at the screen.
Sarah knew.
She had known.
And she was afraid.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From Rebecca.
I almost ignored it.
Then I saw the picture.
It was Emily.
At school.
Taken that morning.
My blood ran cold.
The message underneath said:
“You still don’t understand who you’re fighting.””
I showed Mark.
His expression changed.
“She’s watching her.””
I immediately stood.
“I’m getting Emily.””
When I arrived at school, Emily was sitting in the office with her teacher.
She ran to me.
“Daddy!””
I hugged her.
“Are you okay?””
She nodded.
“Why are you here?””
I looked at her teacher.
“I just wanted to see her.””
The teacher smiled.
“She’s been very brave.””
That word hurt.
Brave.
Emily shouldn’t have to be brave.
She should be a child.
On the drive home, she was quiet.
Finally, she asked:
“Daddy?””
“Yeah?””
“Is Rebecca mad at me?””
I gripped the steering wheel.
“No.””
“Then why is everyone fighting?””
I looked at her in the mirror.
Because adults lied.
Because people hurt each other.
Because I failed to see the truth.
But I couldn’t say those things.
“Sometimes grown-ups make bad choices.””
Emily nodded.
Then said:
“I miss Mommy.””
The words broke me.
“I miss her too.””
That night, after Emily slept, I searched through old messages between Sarah and me.
Something kept bothering me.
The video.
The warning.
The fact Sarah told me to show it to Emily someday.
Not now.
Someday.
I opened the old backup again.
And found another hidden folder.
Inside was one document.
A journal entry.
Sarah’s final weeks.
The first page made me stop.
“Daniel doesn’t know yet.””
I kept reading.
“I saw Rebecca talking to someone.””
Next line:
“Someone from our family.””
My heart raced.
Then:
“She thinks I don’t know.””
I turned the page.
The next sentence was underlined.
“She is using Emily because she knows Emily remembers.””
Remembers what?
I kept reading.
“Emily was there that night.””
I stopped.
That night.
What night?
The night Sarah died?
I turned the page quickly.
But the rest was missing.
Someone had torn it out.
My phone rang.
Andrew.
I answered immediately.
“Did you find something?””
His breathing was heavy.
“Daniel.””
“What happened?””
“I know who Sarah was talking about.””
I stood.
“Who?””
A pause.
Then Andrew said:
“The person she feared wasn’t Rebecca.””
My heart pounded.
“Then who?””
Andrew whispered:
“Your mother.””
I closed my eyes.
“No.””
“Daniel, there’s more.””
“What?””
“Your mother wasn’t just helping Rebecca.””
Silence.
May you like
Then:
“She was there the night Sarah died.””
