Chapter 5: The Name Emily Feared
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The church remained frozen.
Even the sunlight coming through the stained-glass windows seemed colder.
I looked at Vanessa.
“Say that again.””
She crossed her arms.
“Emily was afraid of someone close to you.””
“Who?””
She looked toward my family.
My mother.
My brothers.
Everyone who had known Emily.
Everyone who had loved her.
“You really don’t know?””
My jaw tightened.
“Vanessa.””
She sighed.
“Your brother.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
“Marcus?””
Behind me, Marcus immediately stepped forward.
“What?””
Vanessa looked at him.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.””
Marcus stared at her.
“No, I don’t.””
I studied his face.
Marcus had been my best friend since college.
He was the person who stayed with me through Emily’s illness.
The person who helped me raise Lily after she died.
The person who stood beside me when I thought my world had ended.
But now…
For one terrible second…
I wondered.
Vanessa saw the doubt.
She saw it and used it.
“Ask him where he was the night Emily wrote that letter.””
Marcus went completely still.
My stomach dropped.
“Marcus?””
He looked at me.
“Ethan, don’t do this.””
“Don’t do what?””
His silence was louder than an answer.
The guests started whispering again.
My mother stepped between us.
“Enough. This is not happening here.””
But I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t look away from Marcus.
“Where were you?””
He rubbed his face.
“Ethan…”
“Where were you?””
He looked down.
And that was when my heart broke.
Not because I knew he had done something wrong.
Because I knew he was hiding something.
“I was at the hospital,” he finally said.
I blinked.
“What?””
“The night Emily wrote that letter.””
He looked at me.
“I was at the hospital.””
“Why?””
Marcus swallowed.
“Because Emily called me.””
The entire church disappeared around me.
“Emily called you?””
He nodded slowly.
“She was scared.””
My hands tightened.
“Scared of what?””
Marcus looked at Vanessa.
Then at Lily.
Then back at me.
“Not who.””
A pause.
“Something.””
Nobody understood.
I didn’t either.
“What does that mean?””
Marcus took a deep breath.
“Emily thought someone was trying to take Lily away from you.””
My blood went cold.
“What?””
Vanessa suddenly looked nervous.
Marcus continued.
“She found documents. She found messages. She thought someone was planning to challenge your custody.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She immediately shook her head.
“That’s ridiculous.””
Marcus ignored her.
“Emily asked me to keep an eye on things if something happened to her.””
My voice cracked.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
His eyes filled with guilt.
“Because Emily made me promise.””
“You promised my dying wife you would keep secrets from me?””
“She was afraid you would do something reckless.””
I laughed once.
A painful sound.
“And she was right.””
Marcus looked away.
I turned back to Vanessa.
“You knew about this.””
Her silence answered me.
“You knew Emily was worried.””
“I knew she was paranoid.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Paranoid?””
Vanessa stepped back.
“She was sick. She wasn’t thinking clearly.””
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone heard what she had done.
She had just insulted a dead woman.
A woman who had loved my daughter.
A woman who couldn’t defend herself.
My mother’s voice broke.
“Get out.””
Vanessa looked at her.
“What?””
“You heard me.””
My mother pointed toward the door.
“You will leave this church.””
Vanessa looked around.
Then she looked at me.
“You’re making the biggest mistake of your life.””
I held Lily’s hand.
“No.””
I looked at the woman I almost married.
“My biggest mistake was almost making you my daughter’s mother.””
Vanessa’s face changed.
For a moment, I thought she would finally leave.
But then she reached into her purse.
Again.
This time, she pulled out a small black folder.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this.””
My stomach tightened.
“What is that?””
She looked at Lily.
Then at me.
“This is the reason Emily was afraid.””
She opened the folder.
Inside was a document with my daughter’s name on it.
May you like
And the signature at the bottom made my entire body go numb.
Because it belonged to Emily.
