Chapter 10: The Truth Buried In The Records
I read the sentence again.
Then again.
Because my brain refused to accept what my eyes were seeing.
The person who caused the delay in my treatment is someone you still call family.
The paper shook between my fingers.
My mother had written those words while knowing she might never get another chance to tell me.
She wasn’t guessing.
She wasn’t angry.
She was documenting.
“Nia?”” Evelyn asked softly.
I looked up.
My father was staring at the page.
Diane was staring at my father.
And Chloe looked like she already knew the answer.
“Who?”” I whispered.
Nobody moved.
“Who delayed her treatment?””
My father sat down slowly.
“I don’t know.””
The room exploded with disbelief.
“You don’t know?””
He looked at me.
“I swear.””
“You were her husband.””
“I know.””
“You lived with her.””
“I know.””
“Then how do you not know?””
He covered his face.
“Because I wasn’t there.””
The words stopped me.
“What?””
He lowered his hands.
“The week before her treatment changed, I was traveling for work.””
My chest tightened.
“You left her?””
His expression collapsed.
“I thought she wanted space.””
My laugh was bitter.
“She was dying.””
“I know.””
“No, you don’t.””
I turned away.
For years, I had remembered my father as a man who lost his wife.
Now I was seeing him as a man who abandoned her when she needed him most.
Evelyn picked up the letter.
“Your mother left another clue.””
She pointed to the bottom of the page.
A date.
Three days before my mother’s final surgery.
“She wrote this after reviewing her medical records.””
I looked at her.
“Can we get those records?””
“We already have them.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Evelyn opened another folder.
“I requested copies when your mother first contacted me.””
She placed several pages on the table.
I looked through them.
Appointments.
Medication changes.
Treatment notes.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Then I saw it.
A missing signature.
“What is this?””
Evelyn pointed.
“Your mother’s treatment approval.””
I frowned.
“Why is it blank?””
“Because the approval was delayed.””
“How long?””
“Eight days.””
Eight days.
The number echoed in my head.
“Eight days could change everything.””
Evelyn nodded.
“Yes.””
My father stared at the papers.
“Who had access?””
Evelyn looked at him.
“That’s the question.””
Diane suddenly spoke.
“You’re all acting like I’m guilty.””
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
She stepped forward.
“I made mistakes. Fine. I shouldn’t have gotten involved in your marriage problems. But I did not kill anyone.””
The word hung in the air.
Kill.
Nobody had said it before.
But now it existed.
My father stood.
“Don’t say that.””
“Why?””
Diane’s eyes filled with anger.
“Because you know what happened.””
He froze.
“What does that mean?””
She looked at him.
“You asked me to help you.””
My father went pale.
“I asked you to find out information.””
“Exactly.””
“What information?””
“About the treatment.””
Silence.
I looked at my father.
“You knew.””
His face changed.
“Nia.””
“You knew something was wrong.””
“I was scared.””
“You knew.””
He looked down.
That was enough.
Evelyn’s voice was calm.
“Richard, I need the truth now.””
My father sat back down.
“When Diane told me she could access the records, I agreed.””
My hands went cold.
“You agreed.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked at me.
“I wanted to know if your mother’s condition was really getting worse.””
I stared at him.
“That makes no sense.””
He swallowed.
“I thought she was hiding something.””
My anger rose.
“She was hiding something?””
He looked ashamed.
“I thought she was changing things in her will.””
A terrible silence followed.
My father wasn’t trying to save my mother.
He was trying to protect himself.
Evelyn closed the folder.
“And did you find anything?””
My father didn’t answer.
Diane did.
“No.””
Everyone looked at her.
She looked exhausted.
“No. We didn’t find anything.””
“Then why was treatment delayed?”” I asked.
Diane looked at the floor.
“Because someone else accessed the system after us.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
She nodded.
“We only looked at the records.””
“Who changed them?””
She looked toward the stairs.
Toward my mother’s bedroom.
Toward the box that had held every secret.
“I don’t know.””
Then my phone rang.
Everyone froze.
The screen showed an unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice spoke.
“Nia Carter?””
“Yes.””
“This is Dr. Samuel Reed.””
The room went silent.
My grip tightened around the phone.
“I think we need to talk.””
“Why?””
A pause.
May you like
Then he said:
“Because your mother was right to be afraid.””
