Chapter 6: The Person Who Knew Everything
The next morning, my father didn’t go to work.
That had never happened before.
Not once.
Dad always worked.
Even when he was tired.
Even when he was sick.
But that morning, he sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee that went untouched.
I knew he was thinking.
I knew because he had the same look he wore when Mom died.
A look like he was trying to solve a problem that had no easy answer.
Vanessa was upstairs.
She hadn’t spoken to us since the night before.
For once, the silence felt safer.
My father looked at me.
“Noah, I need to ask you something.””
I nodded.
“Okay.””
“Did Vanessa ever tell you not to talk about your mother?””
I looked down.
Then nodded.
“Sometimes.””
“What did she say?””
I played with my fingers.
“She said remembering Mom made Dad sad.””
My father closed his eyes.
“And did you believe her?””
I shrugged.
“I didn’t want you to be sad.””
That broke something in him.
He reached across the table and held my hand.
“Noah, missing your mother was never your fault.””
I nodded.
But before I could answer, the doorbell rang.
My father stood.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone.””
He opened the door.
A woman stood outside.
She looked to be in her fifties.
She held a small bag in her hands.
“Daniel?””
My father froze.
“Rachel?””
The woman looked past him.
Then saw me.
Her expression changed.
“Oh my God.””
My father stepped outside.
“What are you doing here?””
Rachel looked nervous.
“I heard what happened.””
My father frowned.
“How?””
She looked down.
“Because Vanessa called me last night.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did she call you for?””
Rachel looked at me.
Then at my father.
“She asked me if I still had something from years ago.””
My father’s voice became serious.
“What something?””
Rachel swallowed.
“The box.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What box?””
Rachel looked at me.
“The one your mother left behind.””
My father went completely still.
“Vanessa knew about that?””
Rachel nodded.
“She knew.””
My father’s face changed.
“What was inside?””
Rachel opened her bag.
She pulled out a small envelope.
“I kept this because I promised your mother I would.””
My hands started shaking.
My father looked at the envelope.
“What is it?””
Rachel looked at me.
Then quietly said:
“It’s the letter your mother wrote after she found out Vanessa was trying to take her place.””
I stopped breathing.
My father took the envelope.
But before he opened it, Rachel said one more thing.
“Daniel…”
He looked up.
“There’s something else.””
“What?””
Rachel glanced toward the house.
Then whispered:
“Vanessa wasn’t just hiding the letter.””
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A pause.
“She was hiding why your mother wrote it in the first place.””
