Chapter 4: The Brother Who Never Existed
For ten seconds, I couldn’t speak.
Claire’s words stayed in the air between us like smoke.
“The person who hurt Emily has been standing close to you for years.””
I wanted to reject it.
I wanted to laugh.
I wanted to tell myself this was just another lie from someone who had already broken my trust.
But I couldn’t.
Because Claire had known things she should never have known.
She knew about Emily’s ring.
She knew about the hospital.
She knew about a betrayal I had never heard about.
“Start from the beginning,” I said.
Claire looked exhausted.
“I don’t even know where the beginning is anymore.””
“Try.””
She sat on the couch, staring at her hands.
“When I met Emily, she was already very sick. But she was still fighting. She kept telling everyone she would go home.””
My throat tightened.
“She was planning our daughter’s future.””
Claire nodded.
“She showed me pictures of Lily. She told me about you. She told me about the nursery you built before Lily was born.””
I looked away.
I remembered painting those walls.
Emily had laughed because I accidentally painted one corner of the ceiling blue.
“She loved you,” Claire whispered.
I closed my eyes.
“Don’t say that like you knew her better than me.””
“I don’t.””
Her voice cracked.
“But I knew something was wrong.””
I looked back at her.
“What?””
“Emily was scared during her last weeks.””
“She was dying. Of course she was scared.””
“No.””
Claire shook her head.
“Not about dying.””
The room felt colder.
“She was scared of someone around her.””
I stood.
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
I walked toward the window.
Rain covered the glass, making the world outside look distorted.
“What about the brother?””
Claire swallowed.
“His name was Daniel.””
“Emily didn’t have a brother.””
“She did.””
I turned around.
“What does that mean?””
“She was adopted.””
I froze.
“What?””
Claire nodded.
“Emily found out when she was older. Her parents raised her, but they had hidden the adoption. She searched for her biological family after her diagnosis.””
“And she found him?””
“Yes.””
“Daniel.””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t she tell me?””
Claire looked down.
“Because she wasn’t sure if she could trust him.””
My mind raced through every conversation I had ever had with Emily.
Every person who visited.
Every person she mentioned.
Nobody.
Never a brother.
“Why would he hurt her?””
Claire’s eyes filled with guilt.
“Because he wanted something.””
“What?””
“The inheritance.””
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible.
“Emily didn’t have some secret fortune.””
“Not money.””
“Then what?””
Claire hesitated.
“The company shares her biological parents left behind.””
I stared.
“What company?””
She whispered the name.
And my stomach dropped.
It was a company I knew.
A company Emily had mentioned once.
A company she said she never wanted anything to do with.
“Daniel believed Emily was hiding documents from him,” Claire continued.
“And she wasn’t?””
“I don’t know.””
“Then why involve you?””
Claire looked at the floor.
“Because he knew I worked at the hospital.””
A terrible feeling settled over me.
“You helped him.””
The silence answered before she did.
“Claire.””
“I didn’t know who he really was at first.””
“But you still helped him.””
She covered her face.
“He asked me to check Emily’s belongings.””
My hands curled into fists.
“You went through my dying wife’s things?””
“I was trying to find proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“That Emily had hidden something.””
I stepped closer.
“And did you?””
Claire looked at me.
“Yes.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“She had hidden something.””
“Where?””
Claire shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
“Then what did you find?””
She reached into her bag and pulled out a small envelope.
“I found this.””
I took it.
Inside was a photograph.
Not of Emily.
Not of Lily.
A photograph of a man standing outside the hospital.
A man I didn’t recognize.
On the back was a handwritten note.
*If anything happens to me, don’t trust Daniel.*
My breathing stopped.
“Why didn’t you show me this?””
Claire started crying.
“Because Daniel found out I had it.””
“And?””
“He threatened me.””
“With what?””
She looked at me.
“He said if I told you, he would reveal what I did.””
I stared at her.
“What did you do?””
Claire looked away.
And then she whispered:
“I was the one who put Emily’s ring in the pawn shop.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
“You said you were protecting it.””
“I was.””
“How?””
Claire wiped her tears.
“Because Daniel wanted to sell it.””
I didn’t move.
“He knew the ring was valuable. He knew Emily would never let him take it.””
“So you stole it?””
“I hid it.””
“Then pawned it.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I needed the receipt.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Claire looked at the document.
“The pawn shop record had a date. A timestamp. Proof that Daniel had possession of the ring before Emily died.””
I felt sick.
“So you created evidence.””
“Yes.””
“But you never told me.””
“No.””
“Why?””
Claire looked at me.
“Because after Emily died, I saw you at the funeral.””
I said nothing.
“You were holding Lily. You looked completely destroyed.””
Her voice trembled.
“I wanted to tell you everything.””
“But you didn’t.””
“No.””
“Why?””
Claire looked toward the door.
“Because someone else was standing behind you.””
My skin went cold.
“Who?””
Claire didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
Her face told me.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
I opened it.
May you like
And my blood ran cold.
*Stop digging into the past, David. Your wife already paid the price.*
