Chapter 8: The Night Everyone Forgot
My mother stood slowly.
Her hands were trembling.
“I remember.””
Nobody spoke.
Daniel looked at her.
“Remember what?””
My mother stared at him.
“The night Sarah got sick.””
The room changed.
Everyone leaned closer.
Because Sarah had mentioned that night.
But never explained it.
My mother looked at me.
“Sarah called me after you left.””
I frowned.
“You never told me that.””
“She made me promise.””
My chest tightened.
“What did she say?””
My mother looked at Daniel.
“She said she was scared.””
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“That’s not true.””
My mother’s eyes filled with anger.
“She said you came to my house angry.””
Silence.
Daniel looked away.
I felt something break inside me.
“You went to Mom’s house?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“Why?””
He rubbed his face.
“It was an argument.””
“About what?””
“Emily.””
His voice sharpened.
“You don’t understand.””
“No.””
I stared at him.
“I understand you were somewhere you never admitted being.””
Mr. Collins wrote something down.
“Mrs. Parker, can you explain exactly what happened?””
My mother nodded slowly.
“Daniel came to my house around nine that night.””
She closed her eyes.
“Sarah wasn’t with him.””
Everyone looked at Daniel.
“He was angry,” my mother continued.
“He kept asking about Sarah’s documents.””
My stomach dropped.
“Documents?””
My mother nodded.
“He asked where Sarah kept her personal papers.””
Daniel’s face changed.
“That’s not what happened.””
My mother ignored him.
“He said something that scared me.””
“What?””
She looked at me.
“He said Sarah was making things difficult.””
I felt sick.
Sarah had written the same thing.
She was becoming a problem.
Mr. Collins immediately looked through his notes.
“Did Sarah ever tell you about this conversation?””
My mother nodded.
“She came to my house the next morning.””
“The morning she went to the hospital?””
“Yes.””
My heart pounded.
“What did she say?””
My mother began crying.
“She said she finally understood.””
The room became quiet.
“She said Daniel wasn’t trying to fix their marriage.””
A pause.
“He was trying to control the ending.””
Daniel suddenly shouted.
“That’s a lie!””
His voice echoed.
Lily jumped.
I immediately pulled her closer.
“Enough.””
Daniel looked at me.
“You’re all turning against me because she’s gone.””
“No.””
I held his stare.
“We’re listening to what she left behind.””
Mr. Collins placed the documents together.
“This changes the timeline.””
Daniel frowned.
“How?””
“Because Sarah’s concerns began before the financial transfers.””
The lawyer looked at him.
“This was not only about Olivia.””
Daniel went silent.
The truth was becoming bigger.
Much bigger.
Then Olivia suddenly spoke.
“I need to say something.””
Everyone looked at her.
She looked terrified.
“What?””
She swallowed.
“Daniel lied to me too.””
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“Olivia.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“I’m done protecting you.””
She turned toward us.
“He told me Sarah was already planning to leave.””
My stomach tightened.
“When?””
“Months ago.””
Olivia wiped her eyes.
“He told me he was waiting until everything was settled.””
Mr. Collins asked:
“What did he mean by everything?””
Olivia hesitated.
Then whispered:
“The house.””
Nobody moved.
“He said once Sarah was gone, the house would belong to him.””
My mother covered her mouth.
I looked at Daniel.
He didn’t deny it.
That scared me more than anything.
Then Mr. Collins’ phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
“What?””
He listened.
Then slowly looked at me.
“Emily.””
I stood.
“What happened?””
The lawyer held up his phone.
“The hospital released Sarah’s final medical records.””
Daniel looked confused.
“Why does that matter?””
Mr. Collins stared at him.
“Because Sarah’s doctor requested additional testing after noticing something unusual.””
My heart started racing.
“What unusual?””
The lawyer lowered the phone.
“The cause of Sarah’s condition may not have been what everyone believed.””
Nobody breathed.
May you like
And then he said:
“They found evidence that Sarah may have been poisoned.””
