Chapter 9: The Woman Who Never Left
I drove back to Rachel's house with one thought repeating in my mind.
Emily was dead.
She had been dead for years.
So how could there be a recent photograph of her?
When I arrived, police were already there.
Rachel stood outside, holding the photo in her hand.
I walked toward her.
"Give it to me.""
She hesitated.
"Daniel...""
"Give it to me.""
She handed it over.
The picture was blurry.
Taken from a distance.
A woman standing outside a coffee shop.
Dark hair.
Same height.
Same posture.
Same face.
Emily.
My hands started shaking.
"This isn't possible.""
David looked over my shoulder.
He went completely silent.
"David?""
He didn't answer.
"Do you know her?""
His face was pale.
"Yes.""
I turned.
"That's impossible.""
He swallowed.
"Because Emily wasn't supposed to be alive.""
The entire world seemed to stop.
Vanessa arrived minutes later.
When she saw the photo, she collapsed into a chair.
"You knew.""
I looked at her.
"You knew she was alive?""
Vanessa covered her face.
"No.""
"Then why do you look terrified?""
She looked up.
"Because if that is Emily...""
She stopped.
"If that is Emily, then everything I did was for nothing.""
My anger returned.
"What did you do?""
Vanessa looked at me.
"I tried to keep Lily away from her.""
I stepped forward.
"You drugged my daughter to protect her from her own mother?""
"No.""
Her voice broke.
"I did it because I thought Emily was coming back for Lily.""
David shook his head.
"You were wrong.""
Vanessa looked at him.
"Were I?""
The two of them stared at each other.
Like they were having a conversation without words.
I couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough.""
They both looked at me.
"I want the truth.""
Nobody spoke.
Then David finally said:
"Emily didn't die in the accident.""
My heart stopped.
"What?""
"The car crashed.""
He looked down.
"But Emily wasn't inside.""
I felt sick.
"Then whose body was found?""
David didn't answer.
Vanessa did.
"A woman who worked for Emily.""
I stared at her.
"You knew?""
She nodded slowly.
"I found out after.""
"After what?""
She looked at me with tears.
"After I married you.""
The pain of hearing that was different.
Not because she betrayed me.
Because I suddenly realized my entire marriage had been built around secrets.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
Vanessa whispered:
"Because Emily made me promise.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Emily asked you to lie to me?""
"No.""
She looked at the photograph.
"Emily asked me to protect Lily.""
I looked at David.
"From who?""
He answered quietly.
"From the person who was hunting Emily.""
A cold silence followed.
"Who?""
David looked at the photograph again.
Then he said:
"The person who caused the accident.""
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
One sentence.
"Stop searching for Emily, Daniel. She doesn't want you to find her.""
Then another message came.
A photo.
My blood froze.
It was Lily.
Taken while she was sleeping.
In Rachel's house.
Under the picture were five words.
"I know where she is.""
I looked up.
The room was spinning.
Someone had been watching my daughter.
Someone close enough to take that picture.
And then Vanessa whispered the one thing I never expected.
"Daniel...""
I turned toward her.
Her face was full of fear.
"The person who sent that message...""
She swallowed.
"...is not David.""
I stared at her.
"Then who is it?""
Vanessa looked at the photo.
May you like
And quietly said:
"It's me.""
