Chapter 10: The Memory I Wasn’t Supposed to Have
I stood frozen in the middle of the coffee shop.
The phone pressed against my ear.
My mother’s words echoed louder than anything else.
“The person driving was you.””
For several seconds, I couldn’t understand the sentence.
Not because I didn’t hear it.
Because my mind rejected it.
“No.””
My voice came out low.
“That’s not possible.””
Sarah looked at me.
She knew something had changed.
“Daniel?””
I walked away from the table.
“What are you talking about?””
Martha’s breathing was uneven.
“You don’t remember.””
“Remember what?””
“The accident.””
My hand tightened around the phone.
“I was never in an accident.””
A long silence followed.
Then Martha whispered:
“That’s what I made you believe.””
My entire body went cold.
I looked at Sarah.
She covered her mouth.
“She told you?””
I turned away.
“She knows.””
Sarah stood.
“Daniel, listen to me.””
But I couldn’t.
Because suddenly pieces of the past started appearing.
A hospital room.
Bright lights.
A headache that felt like my skull was splitting.
Someone crying.
A woman saying my name.
But every time I tried to hold onto the memory, it disappeared.
“What happened?””
Martha was crying now.
“I was trying to protect you.””
“You keep saying that.””
My voice became sharper.
“Everyone keeps saying they protected me.””
I looked at the documents.
The letters.
The evidence.
“And somehow I’m the only person who lost everything.””
“Daniel…”
“What happened that night?””
My mother was silent.
Then:
“You and Sarah argued.””
I closed my eyes.
“About what?””
“About me.””
Of course.
My mother.
Always my mother.
“She found out about the money.””
My breathing changed.
“The money?””
“She confronted you.””
Sarah looked at me.
I could see she wanted to speak.
I raised my hand.
Not now.
I needed the truth from the person who buried it.
“What happened next?””
Martha whispered:
“You drove away angry.””
“And Sarah?””
“She followed.””
“Why?””
“Because she was afraid you would hurt yourself.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t sound like her leaving.””
“No.””
Martha’s voice cracked.
“It wasn’t.””
The admission hurt.
Because she finally said it.
After two years.
“She loved you.””
I looked down.
“She loved me?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you let me believe she abandoned me?””
Martha didn’t answer.
Because there was no answer.
Only guilt.
“What happened after the crash?””
Another silence.
Then:
“You woke up first.””
I frowned.
“I did?””
“Yes.””
“What did I say?””
Martha started crying.
“You asked where Sarah was.””
My heart stopped.
“What did you tell me?””
“I told you she left.””
I closed my eyes.
A memory flashed.
Sarah’s face.
Tears.
Her hand reaching toward me.
Then darkness.
“No.””
I stepped backward.
“That’s not real.””
Sarah moved closer.
“Daniel.””
I looked at her.
“Did I blame you?””
Her eyes filled.
“You didn’t know what was happening.””
“Did I?””
She looked away.
That hurt more than a yes.
I turned back to the phone.
“You changed my memories.””
“No.””
“You controlled what I knew.””
“Yes.””
The honesty was worse.
Martha whispered:
“I thought if you believed Sarah left, you would heal.””
I laughed.
A broken sound.
“You didn’t help me heal.””
I looked toward Sarah.
“You helped me lose her.””
Then toward the documents.
“You helped me lose my son.””
A notification appeared on my phone.
A new message.
From an unknown number.
Attached was a video.
The title:
“Hospital Security Footage — Night of Accident.””
My heart stopped.
Because beneath it was a message.
You deserve to know what really happened after the crash.
I looked at Sarah.
“Did you send this?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
I pressed play.
The screen loaded.
And the first frame appeared.
A hospital hallway.
A younger version of me.
Walking.
Alive.
Then a woman approached me.
A woman holding a folder.
May you like
A woman I recognized immediately.
Elena.
