Chapter 6: The Last Thing Sarah Recorded
Nobody sat down.
The entire room waited for Mr. Collins to explain.
“What evidence?”” Daniel demanded.
The lawyer looked at him carefully.
“A video.””
Daniel’s face went pale.
“A video of what?””
Mr. Collins didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at me.
“Sarah sent this file to me the night before her final hospital visit.””
My heart stopped.
“The night before?””
I remembered that night.
Sarah had called me.
She sounded exhausted.
But she told me she was fine.
She lied.
She was always protecting everyone.
Mr. Collins connected the device.
The screen lit up.
For a moment, all we saw was darkness.
Then Sarah appeared.
Sitting at her kitchen table.
The same kitchen Olivia had walked through like she owned it.
Sarah looked tired.
Her eyes were red.
But she was calm.
“Emily, Mom…”
My mother started crying immediately.
Sarah looked into the camera.
“If you’re watching this, I need you to know something.””
She took a deep breath.
“I didn’t leave because I stopped loving Daniel.””
Daniel looked at the screen.
“I left because I finally understood that loving someone does not mean sacrificing yourself.””
Nobody moved.
Sarah continued.
“I found out Daniel wasn’t just hiding Olivia.””
A pause.
“He was hiding another account.””
Daniel suddenly stepped forward.
“Turn that off.””
Mr. Collins ignored him.
Sarah looked down at something off-camera.
“I found payments made from that account.””
Her voice shook slightly.
“And I found the person helping him.””
My heart raced.
Helping him?
Sarah looked directly into the camera.
“I need you to hear this carefully.””
Daniel’s face changed.
Because he knew.
He knew what was coming.
Sarah whispered:
“Daniel wasn’t planning to leave me.””
A pause.
“He was planning to make sure I had no choice.””
My mother gasped.
Daniel shook his head.
“That’s not true.””
But Sarah continued.
“He told someone I was becoming a problem.””
The room went silent.
Mr. Collins stopped the video.
Everyone stared at Daniel.
“Who?”” I whispered.
The lawyer looked at the screen.
Then back at the papers.
“We don’t know yet.””
Daniel released a nervous laugh.
“Because there is no proof.””
Mr. Collins looked at him.
“There is proof.””
He pressed play again.
Sarah’s voice returned.
“I found messages between Daniel and this person.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I never thought someone I trusted could help him.””
Daniel looked away.
The video ended.
Just like that.
No name.
No answer.
Only silence.
Then Olivia spoke.
“You knew?””
Daniel turned.
“What?””
“You knew about this video.””
Her voice trembled.
“You knew she recorded something.””
Daniel didn’t respond.
And that was enough.
Mr. Collins slowly opened the final envelope.
Inside was a printed message.
A single name appeared at the top.
The room went completely quiet.
Because it wasn’t Olivia.
It wasn’t Daniel.
It was someone none of us expected.
My hands went cold as I read it.
The message was from the person Sarah trusted most.
May you like
And the final line said:
*“If anything happens to me, look at what my own family member did.””*
