Chapter 8: The Truth About Emma’s Last Days
We didn’t open the box until Oliver was asleep.
I insisted.
Whatever was inside belonged to adults.
Not a seven-year-old boy who had already lost his mother once.
Lorraine sat at the kitchen table beside me.
Mark stood near the window.
Diana stayed by the doorway.
She looked like a stranger inside my home.
Maybe because she was.
I placed the metal box on the table.
The same table where Emma and I used to drink coffee every morning.
The same table where she once told me she was scared of leaving Oliver behind.
I opened the folder first.
Inside were bank records.
Emails.
Medical documents.
My eyes moved quickly.
Then stopped.
A name appeared again and again.
Dr. Nathan Cole.
Emma’s doctor.
The same man who called Diana.
I looked up.
“Why was Emma’s doctor involved?””
Diana answered quietly.
“Because he wasn’t just her doctor.””
“What does that mean?””
She sat down slowly.
“He was investigating something with her.””
Lorraine frowned.
“Investigating what?””
Diana looked at the papers.
“Someone was accessing Emma’s private medical records.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?””
“We don’t know.””
“But Emma suspected someone.””
Diana nodded.
“She suspected someone who had access.””
I looked at the documents.
Then another paper caught my attention.
A hospital visitor list.
The date was three days before Emma died.
I read the names.
Mine.
Lorraine.
Mark.
Then one name made me freeze.
Diana.
I looked up.
“You visited Emma?””
She didn’t deny it.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because she called me.””
The room went silent.
“Why would my dying wife call you?””
Diana looked down.
“Because she knew something was wrong.””
“What did she say?””
Diana’s eyes filled.
“She asked me to watch over Oliver.””
My anger paused.
Just for a second.
“She trusted you with him?””
“Yes.””
“Then what happened?””
Diana looked at the floor.
“I got scared.””
“Scared of what?””
“She told me she thought someone was trying to make her death look accidental.””
I leaned forward.
“And you believed her?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you hide everything?””
Diana’s voice cracked.
“Because after she died, I found the necklace.””
My hand moved toward the pendant around Oliver’s neck.
“You found Emma’s half?””
She nodded.
“She had hidden it.””
“Where?””
“In a place only I knew.””
I stared at her.
“Where?””
Diana looked at the box.
“Inside the hospital room.””
Lorraine whispered:
“No…”
Diana looked at her.
“Emma gave it to me.””
The room went quiet.
“Why?””
Diana closed her eyes.
“Because she said if something happened, Daniel needed proof.””
I felt dizzy.
“Proof of what?””
Diana looked at me.
“That someone close to you was lying.””
The words hung between us.
I looked at everyone.
“Who?””
Diana didn’t answer.
Instead, she pushed the flash drive toward me.
“Watch this.””
I connected it to my laptop.
A video appeared.
The quality was poor.
Security footage.
A hospital hallway.
The date was the day before Emma died.
I leaned closer.
A woman walked down the hallway.
I recognized her immediately.
Diana.
She entered Emma’s room.
My chest tightened.
Then another person appeared.
A man.
Dr. Nathan Cole.
They stood outside the room.
Talking.
The audio was faint.
I increased the volume.
Dr. Cole’s voice came through.
“You need to stop asking questions.””
Diana replied:
“I can’t keep lying to her.””
My heart started racing.
Emma knew.
She knew.
Then Dr. Cole said something that made my blood run cold.
“She won’t live long enough to expose us.””
The kitchen became silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The video continued.
Diana looked terrified.
“I never agreed to this.””
Dr. Cole answered:
“You already did.””
The screen went black.
I stared at it.
My hands were shaking.
Diana covered her face.
“I was trying to fix it.””
I looked at her.
“Fix what?””
She cried silently.
“The mistake that killed Emma.””
I stood.
“What mistake?””
Before she could answer, my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
One sentence.
*Stop digging into Emma’s death, or you’ll lose the other person she was protecting.*
I looked at Oliver’s bedroom door.
My blood went cold.
May you like
Because the message continued.
*Your son knows more than you think.*
