Chapter 5: The Secret Rebecca Buried
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The only sound in the house was the ticking clock above the fireplace.
“What did you just say?”” I asked.
Rebecca looked away.
“Daniel…”
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You don’t get to say something like that and walk away.””
Lily moved behind me.
Rebecca noticed.
Her expression changed.
A flash of guilt crossed her face.
But it disappeared quickly.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
She didn’t answer.
“When were you going to tell me?””
Rebecca sat down slowly.
“I have a daughter.””
The words felt unreal.
I stared at her.
“You have a daughter?””
“Yes.””
“Where is she?””
Rebecca looked toward the window.
“She passed away.””
The anger inside me stopped for a moment.
Not disappeared.
Stopped.
Because grief changes the shape of a conversation.
“How?””
Rebecca swallowed.
“She was seven.””
My chest tightened.
Seven.
The same age as Lily.
Her eyes became distant.
“Her name was Emma.””
I looked at Lily.
Then back at Rebecca.
“What does Emma have to do with this?””
Rebecca wiped her face.
“When I met you, I saw how much you loved Lily.””
Her voice cracked.
“I saw you being the father I failed to be for Emma.””
I frowned.
“You weren’t her father.””
“No.””
She looked down.
“But I was supposed to protect her.””
The room went silent.
“What happened?””
Rebecca didn’t answer immediately.
Then she whispered:
“I made mistakes.””
The words were too vague.
Too careful.
I knew Rebecca.
She was choosing every word.
“Rebecca.””
She looked at me.
“Emma was difficult.””
My stomach tightened.
There it was.
The same phrase.
The same excuse.
“She had problems at school. She got angry. She lied.””
My hands curled into fists.
“And what did you do?””
Rebecca’s eyes filled.
“I disciplined her.””
“How?””
She looked away.
“Too much.””
Lily suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Daddy.””
I looked down.
She was shaking.
Rebecca noticed.
And something in her expression changed.
Not sadness.
Recognition.
Like she finally understood what I was seeing.
“You think I’m a monster.””
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know what to say.
I wanted to hate her.
But there was a dead child somewhere in her past.
A child whose story I didn’t know.
A child who might explain everything.
Or prove something much worse.
The doorbell rang.
Again.
I opened it.
Two people stood outside.
One was a woman I had never met.
The other was a man holding a folder.
The woman looked directly at Rebecca.
“You didn’t tell him.””
Rebecca went completely still.
“Not now.””
The woman ignored her.
She looked at me.
“Daniel Hayes?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Laura Bennett.””
She glanced at Lily.
Then at Rebecca.
“I was Emma’s school counselor.””
The room went silent.
My heart started beating faster.
“Why are you here?””
Laura held out the folder.
“Because after seeing what happened yesterday, I realized I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.””
Rebecca stood up.
“Laura, leave.””
“No.””
Laura’s voice was firm.
“Not this time.””
She turned to me.
“Daniel, you need to know the truth about Emma.””
I took the folder.
“What truth?””
Laura looked at Rebecca.
Then back at me.
“Your wife told everyone Emma was a troubled child.””
My fingers tightened around the folder.
“But that wasn’t the whole story.””
I opened it.
Inside were school reports.
Counselor notes.
Photographs.
And one document dated six years earlier.
My eyes stopped on the first sentence.
“Child reported repeated fear of caregiver.””
I looked up.
“Caregiver?””
Laura nodded.
“Yes.””
My voice became a whisper.
“Who?””
May you like
Laura’s answer made Rebecca collapse into a chair.
“Rebecca.””
