Chapter 2: The Box Emily Left Behind
The word followed me long after dinner ended.
Letter.
I stood alone in the kitchen at midnight, staring at the empty plates still sitting on the counter.
Vanessa had gone upstairs.
Lily was asleep.
Everyone else had left.
But I couldn’t sleep.
Because my mother’s words kept replaying in my mind.
She wasn’t looking for jewelry.
She was looking for something Emily left behind.
I opened the cabinet above the refrigerator and pulled out the small wooden box.
The same box I had given Lily.
The box that held memories I couldn’t replace.
Inside were a few photographs, Emily’s old bracelet, and the empty space where the necklace used to be.
I ran my fingers over the smooth wood.
I remembered the day I gave it to Lily.
She was five years old.
She had asked me if Mommy could still see her from heaven.
I didn’t know what to say.
So I told her the truth.
“I think Mommy would want you to remember how much she loved you.””
Then I gave her the box.
Inside the locket, Emily had written a sentence.
For my little girl, so you always carry my heart with you.
Lily couldn’t read all the words yet, but she memorized them.
That necklace was never just gold.
It was proof that Emily had been here.
Proof that Lily was loved.
The sound of footsteps behind me made me turn.
Vanessa stood in the doorway.
Her arms were crossed.
“You’re really doing this?””
I closed the box.
“Doing what?””
“Treating me like a criminal.””
I looked at her.
“You wore my dead wife’s necklace.””
“I found it.””
“Where?””
She sighed.
“I already told you.””
“No. You gave me an answer. You didn’t tell me the truth.””
Her face hardened.
“You’re always going to choose her over me, aren’t you?””
I stared at her.
“That’s not fair.””
“No?””
She walked closer.
“Everything in this house is about Emily.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Because she was Lily’s mother.””
“And what am I?””
The question hung between us.
For a moment, I felt something close to sympathy.
Vanessa and I had met two years after Emily died. She knew my past. She knew Lily came first.
Or at least, I thought she did.
“You’re my wife,” I said.
She looked at the box in my hands.
“Then maybe you should start treating me like one.””
I almost answered.
Almost.
But then I remembered Lily’s face when Vanessa slapped her hand away.
A child should never look afraid of someone inside her own home.
“Did you go through Lily’s room?””
Vanessa looked away.
That was enough.
“Vanessa.””
“I was cleaning.””
“You were searching.””
She laughed bitterly.
“Your mother loves making me look bad.””
“My mother has never lied to me.””
Vanessa’s expression changed.
Not anger.
Fear.
A small flash of fear.
And I saw it.
“Why are you afraid of that letter?””
She said nothing.
“Vanessa.””
“I’m not afraid.””
“Then why did my mother say you were looking for it?””
She walked toward the stairs.
“I’m tired of this conversation.””
“Answer me.””
She stopped.
For a moment, I thought she would finally tell me.
Instead, she turned around.
“You want to know what I found?””
I didn’t move.
She smiled sadly.
“I found out your perfect Emily wasn’t as perfect as you think.””
My chest tightened.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa looked at me.
“I found something in that box.””
“What?””
She walked upstairs.
“A secret.””
I followed her.
“Vanessa, what secret?””
She stopped halfway up the stairs.
Then she looked back.
“Ask yourself why Emily hid a letter from you before she died.””
My heart raced.
“Emily never hid anything from me.””
Vanessa’s smile was small.
Almost cruel.
“That’s what you believe.””
She disappeared upstairs.
I stood there in the dark hallway.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.
A message from my sister Sarah.
I opened it.
There was a picture attached.
A picture of Vanessa standing inside Lily’s room.
The timestamp was three nights earlier.
My blood ran cold.
Then Sarah sent another message.
Daniel, zoom in on what she’s holding.
I opened the image.
Vanessa wasn’t holding jewelry.
She was holding a white envelope.
May you like
And written on the front were four words.
For Daniel. After I’m gone.
