Chapter 5: The Woman Emma Feared
I had spent two years believing grief was the hardest thing I would ever survive.
I was wrong.
The hardest thing was realizing I had invited danger into my home.
I stood in the middle of the ballroom holding Emma’s letter while every person around me waited for the truth.
Diana looked terrified.
Not angry.
Not offended.
Terrified.
That was when I knew.
Whatever was written inside that envelope mattered.
I unfolded the paper.
Emma’s handwriting filled the page.
“Daniel,
If you are reading this, I need you to listen carefully.
I never wanted to believe someone close to us could hurt our family. But I noticed things that didn’t make sense.””
I swallowed.
My vision blurred.
Emma had written this before she died.
Before I lost her.
Before I spent every night wondering how I would raise Oliver alone.
“I noticed money missing from the account I created for Oliver. I noticed documents moved in my office. I noticed someone searching through my personal things.””
My eyes lifted.
Diana looked away.
The room began to whisper.
I kept reading.
“I don’t know who it is yet. But I found one clue.””
My fingers tightened around the letter.
“The missing half of my necklace was not lost.””
I stopped.
Lorraine covered her mouth.
I continued.
“Someone took it.””
A silence fell over the ballroom.
Diana shook her head.
“This is insane.””
I looked at her.
“You knew.””
“No.””
“You knew about the necklace.””
“No.””
“You knew where Emma’s things were.””
Her voice became louder.
“Daniel, I loved you.””
I laughed bitterly.
“That’s your answer?””
She stepped forward.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
She didn’t answer.
I looked back at the letter.
The next lines were harder to read.
“Daniel, I need you to check the safety deposit box at First National Bank. The key is hidden inside Oliver’s old birthday book.””
My heart stopped.
The birthday book.
Emma’s favorite blue notebook.
The one she used every year to write Oliver’s birthday memories.
I looked at Lorraine.
“Do you know about this?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
Diana suddenly moved toward me.
“Daniel, listen to me.””
I stepped back.
“No.””
“Please.””
“No.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I made mistakes.””
“Mistakes?””
I pointed toward Oliver.
“You hurt a child.””
She looked down.
“I was trying to become part of this family.””
“By destroying the parts you didn’t like?””
She flinched.
For the first time, she had no answer.
Mark stepped beside me.
“Daniel, we need to check that box.””
I nodded.
But before I could move, Diana spoke.
“Emma was sick.””
Everyone looked at her.
“What?””
Diana wiped her tears.
“She wasn’t thinking clearly near the end.””
My blood went cold.
“You don’t get to talk about her like that.””
“I’m telling the truth.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You’re using the fact that she’s gone because she can’t defend herself.””
Diana’s face hardened.
“She left you a letter accusing me without proof.””
“She left me a warning.””
“She left you paranoia.””
That was when Lorraine slapped her.
The sound echoed through the ballroom.
Nobody moved.
Lorraine’s hand trembled.
“You will not disrespect my daughter.””
Diana touched her cheek.
Her expression changed.
The sadness disappeared.
The mask fell.
“You all think Emma was perfect.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
“It means she wasn’t.””
“Everyone knows that.””
Diana laughed.
“But you still worship her.””
I looked at her carefully.
“Why are you so desperate to make me hate her?””
She froze.
A few seconds passed.
Then she whispered:
“Because she knew.””
My chest tightened.
“Knew what?””
Diana looked toward the hallway where Oliver was sitting.
Then back at me.
“She knew I was there the night she died.””
The room went completely silent.
My blood ran cold.
“What did you just say?””
Diana realized what she had admitted.
Her face changed.
“I didn’t mean—”
“You were there?””
“No.””
“You said she knew you were there.””
She backed away.
“I was trying to help her.””
“Help her with what?””
Diana’s eyes filled with panic.
Then her phone rang.
The sound cut through the silence.
She looked at the screen.
And I saw the name.
A name I had never seen before.
She quickly rejected the call.
But not before I read it.
The caller was saved as:
*Emma’s Doctor.*
May you like
I looked at Diana.
“Why is Emma’s doctor calling you?””
