Chapter 12: The Woman Before Me
The silence after Captain Harris spoke felt endless.
“Michael was married before me?””
The question sounded strange coming from my own mouth.
Because it shouldn’t have been possible.
I knew Michael.
I knew his favorite coffee order.
I knew the scar on his left hand came from fixing an old motorcycle.
I knew the song he played whenever he cooked.
How could I not know this?
Captain Harris looked ashamed.
“He didn’t want you to know.””
“Why?””
“Because he wanted his past to stay buried.””
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because nothing made sense anymore.
“So everyone knew except me?””
“No.””
Captain Harris shook his head.
“Not everyone.””
Claire looked away.
“I knew.””
That hurt.
I looked at her.
“You knew?””
She nodded.
“Michael told me before he met you.””
“Why?””
“Because he was afraid his past would follow him.””
I looked at Emily.
She was quiet.
Too quiet.
“Who was she?””
Captain Harris answered.
“Her name was Laura.””
The name meant nothing.
Until Claire spoke.
“She died five years before Michael met you.””
I frowned.
“Then why does this matter?””
Captain Harris looked at the letter.
“Because Laura was connected to the company.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“How?””
“She worked in corporate compliance.””
Claire continued.
“She discovered the same problems Michael later uncovered.””
My heart raced.
“So she was involved?””
“No.””
Captain Harris shook his head.
“She tried to expose them.””
“Then what happened?””
Nobody answered immediately.
That scared me.
Finally, Claire said:
“Laura died in a car accident.””
I stared.
“Accident?””
Her eyes lowered.
“That’s what everyone was told.””
The room became silent again.
Because I understood.
Another accident.
Another person who knew too much.
Another story that didn’t add up.
Captain Harris looked at me.
“Michael spent years trying to understand what happened to her.””
“And he found something.””
“Yes.””
“What?””
“That Laura had left behind evidence.””
My phone buzzed.
A new message.
From an unknown number.
I opened it.
A photo.
My breath stopped.
It was Michael.
Standing with Laura.
But the picture wasn’t old.
It was dated six months before Michael died.
Six months after he married me.
Emily looked at the screen.
“Mom?””
I couldn’t answer.
Because underneath the photo was a message.
*Ask your husband why he lied about where he was that night.*
My hands went cold.
Captain Harris looked at the picture.
Then immediately looked away.
“You don’t understand.””
I looked at him.
“Then explain.””
He was silent.
“Daniel.””
His voice broke.
“There is something Michael never told you.””
“What?””
Captain Harris swallowed.
“Laura wasn’t just someone from his past.””
A pause.
“She was alive.””
The room tilted.
“No.””
“Yes.””
I stared at the photograph.
The impossible photograph.
The secret marriage.
The hidden sister.
The missing truth.
Everything I knew about Michael was changing.
Captain Harris stepped closer.
“Mrs. Brooks…”
I backed away.
“Where is she?””
Nobody answered.
Then Claire whispered:
“She’s the reason Michael died.””
A knock came at the door.
Everyone turned.
A security officer stood outside.
But he wasn’t looking at us.
He was looking at the person behind him.
A woman.
A woman with Michael’s eyes.
A woman holding the same pilot wings Emily wore.
And when she saw my daughter, she whispered:
“Emily…”
My heart stopped.
May you like
Because the woman who had been dead for five years…
had just come back to find us.
