Chapter 13: My Stepmother Finally Confessed What Happened That Night
"Ask Vanessa why she drove away while your wife was still breathing.""
Daniel's words remained in the room long after the call ended.
My father stood frozen, still holding Vanessa's phone.
Then he turned toward her.
"Is it true?""
Vanessa covered her face.
"Marcus, please.""
"IS IT TRUE?""
She started crying.
Olivia stepped away from her.
"Mom, tell us.""
Vanessa looked at the young woman.
For the first time, I saw genuine fear in her eyes.
"Daniel told me Danielle was already dead.""
Andrew stepped forward.
"That's not what he said on the phone.""
Vanessa shook her head.
"I didn't know she was alive when I left.""
Dad pointed toward her.
"Why were you at the accident scene?""
She sank onto the sofa.
Then she began talking.
"Daniel called me that evening. He said Danielle was driving somewhere with documents that could send him to prison. He wanted me to stop her before she reached the police.""
"Stop her how?"" Andrew demanded.
Vanessa looked down.
"He told me to follow her.""
My stomach tightened.
"What happened?""
"Your mother was driving along Riverside Drive. Daniel had arranged for someone to interfere with her car earlier that day. I didn't know exactly what he'd done.""
Dad gripped the back of a chair.
"You're saying he sabotaged her car?""
Vanessa nodded.
"He told me it would only frighten her. He said she would stop, Daniel would take the documents, and everything would be over.""
Andrew's face hardened.
"And when she crashed?""
"I was behind her.""
The room went silent.
Vanessa continued.
"I saw the car leave the road. I stopped a short distance away. Danielle was still inside.""
I could barely breathe.
"Was she alive?""
Vanessa started sobbing.
"Yes.""
One word.
That was all it took to make my world collapse.
"Did you try to help her?""
She looked at me.
"I wanted to.""
"But you didn't.""
She shook her head.
"Daniel arrived before I could reach her. He told me to get back into my car.""
Dad's voice was barely audible.
"What did he do?""
"He checked the driver's side. Then he took something from Danielle's handbag.""
"The documents?"" Andrew asked.
"Yes.""
I stepped closer.
"Was Mom conscious?""
Vanessa nodded.
"She opened her eyes. She looked at me.""
My hands began shaking.
"What did she say?""
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
"She said, 'Ethan needs to know.''"
I felt my knees weaken.
My mother had known she was in danger.
She had still been thinking about me.
"What did Daniel do?"" Dad demanded.
"He told me to leave. He said he would call for help.""
"And you believed him?""
Vanessa looked at the floor.
"He showed me a photograph of Olivia.""
Olivia went completely still.
"What photograph?""
Vanessa reached into her purse and pulled out an old picture.
It showed a little girl sleeping in a hospital cot.
On the back was a handwritten message.
*ONE WORD TO THE POLICE, AND SHE DISAPPEARS.*
Vanessa's voice cracked.
"He told me he could make sure I never saw my daughter again.""
Olivia shook her head.
"So you abandoned another woman's dying child to protect me?""
Vanessa couldn't answer.
Dad stepped away from the sofa.
"You let my wife die.""
"I was terrified!""
"And you married me afterward?""
Vanessa looked at him.
"Daniel said it was the only way to keep control of the estate. He needed access to Marcus's signature and Danielle's trust.""
Andrew laughed bitterly.
"So you deliberately entered this family.""
Vanessa nodded.
"I thought I could get Olivia back once the money was secured.""
Olivia backed away.
"You destroyed another family to get me?""
"I was trying to protect you.""
"No. You were protecting yourself.""
Her words silenced the room.
Then Vanessa reached into her purse again.
This time, she removed a small silver flash drive.
"I kept something from that night.""
Dad looked at it.
"What is it?""
"The original recording from my car.""
Andrew immediately stepped closer.
"You had a dashcam?""
"Daniel didn't know I had one. I removed the memory card after the accident.""
"Why didn't you give it to the police?""
Vanessa stared at him.
"Because it showed me leaving.""
Dad closed his eyes.
The flash drive contained the missing piece.
A recording of what happened after my mother's car crashed.
We returned to Clara's office that afternoon. She connected the drive to a secure computer, and a video appeared.
Rain covered the windshield.
My mother's car was visible several yards ahead.
The timestamp read 9:17 p.m.
Then Daniel's vehicle pulled in.
He approached the wreck.
He looked around before opening the driver's door.
My mother moved.
She was alive.
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
Daniel leaned into the car.
Although the camera had no audio, I could see him removing something from her handbag.
Then he stepped backward and checked his watch.
Vanessa appeared at the edge of the frame.
She took one step toward my mother.
Daniel raised his hand sharply.
Vanessa stopped.
Then she turned and walked back to her car.
I watched the recording again.
And again.
Dad was crying silently.
Clara paused the video.
"There's something else.""
She enlarged the final seconds.
Daniel was standing beside his vehicle, holding his phone.
His mouth was moving.
Clara adjusted the audio settings.
A faint voice emerged.
"She's not going anywhere. By morning, this will look like an accident.""
I looked at Vanessa.
She whispered, "He said he had called an ambulance.""
Clara saved the recording.
"We're taking this directly to the authorities.""
Then she opened the metadata.
The video contained an additional file.
An audio recording created automatically by Vanessa's dashcam.
Clara pressed play.
Daniel's voice came through clearly.
"Once Danielle is gone, nobody will ever know Ethan's real father. And nobody will ever know what happened to Olivia.""
Then came Vanessa's voice.
"But what about Marcus?""
Daniel laughed.
"Your husband believes whatever you tell him.""
The same words Vanessa had used against me.
Clara paused the recording.
I looked at my father.
He was staring at the screen.
Then he whispered:
"My brother didn't just destroy Danielle's life. He planned to destroy mine, too.""
Clara picked up her phone.
"I'm calling the detective handling the reopened investigation.""
But before she could dial, another message arrived on my phone.
It was from an unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
It showed our mother's grave.
May you like
Beneath it was a message.
*YOUR UNCLE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE. HE'S COMING FOR THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS TONIGHT.*
