Chapter 12: The Video From That Night
I didn't remember driving home.
I only remembered the rain.
The sound of it hitting the windshield.
The way my hands shook around the steering wheel.
The way one thought repeated over and over.
Dad was in the video.
The day my mother disappeared.
The day I lost her.
The day my life changed forever.
When I arrived, everyone was already gathered in the living room.
My mother.
My father.
Lily.
Even Nicole.
Nobody spoke.
Because they all knew.
Something was about to break.
Lily sat beside the laptop.
"I didn't watch all of it.""
"Why?""
She looked at Dad.
"Because I saw him.""
My father looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"Emma.""
I ignored him.
"Play it.""
My mother sat beside me.
Dad stayed standing.
The video started.
It showed an old office.
The date appeared in the corner.
Twelve years ago.
Then I saw my mother.
Younger.
Terrified.
She was arguing with someone.
Daniel.
My breath caught.
The audio was unclear at first.
Then the volume increased.
"You can't do this, Daniel.""
Daniel's voice.
"You should have thought about that before you reported me.""
My mother stepped closer.
"You ruined innocent people's lives.""
Daniel laughed.
"You think you're better than me?""
Then another voice entered.
A voice I knew.
My father's.
"No.""
Everyone froze.
Dad closed his eyes.
The video continued.
Marcus walked into the office.
My younger self wasn't there.
But my father was.
"What are you doing here?"" my mother asked.
Dad looked terrified.
"I came to fix this.""
"Fix what?""
The video shook slightly.
Like whoever recorded it was hiding.
Then my father said something that broke my heart.
"I signed the papers.""
My mother stared at him.
"You did what?""
"I thought I was protecting Emma.""
"From me?""
"No.""
His voice cracked.
"From losing everything.""
The video paused for a moment.
Nobody breathed.
Then it continued.
My mother looked devastated.
"Marcus, do you understand what you've done?""
"I can fix it.""
"No.""
Her voice was cold.
"You can't.""
Then Daniel stepped forward.
"You both need to understand something.""
The video ended.
Everyone stared at the frozen screen.
"That's it?""
Lily shook her head.
"No.""
She pressed play again.
The next file opened.
A second video.
A different angle.
The person recording was closer.
And this time, we saw something we hadn't seen before.
Someone else was in the room.
Someone standing behind the camera.
Someone who had been recording everything.
My mother leaned forward.
Her face went pale.
"No.""
I looked at her.
"Who is it?""
She whispered the name.
And my heart stopped.
"Nicole.""
The video showed Nicole secretly filming Daniel and my father.
But she wasn't hiding.
She was smiling.
Like she already knew she would need this evidence someday.
Then the recording captured one final conversation.
Daniel asked:
"Are you sure you can handle this?""
Nicole answered:
"I've handled worse.""
My father stepped closer.
"What does that mean?""
Nobody noticed him move.
Everyone was focused on the screen.
Nicole's voice came again.
"It means once Emma believes her mother abandoned her, everything becomes easier.""
I felt sick.
Because that sentence explained everything.
The lies.
The silence.
The years of pain.
But then the video revealed one final detail.
Daniel turned toward Nicole.
"After tonight, you know Marcus will blame himself.""
Nicole smiled.
"And that's exactly what I want.""
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then my father whispered:
"She planned all of it.""
But my mother looked at the screen.
Her face was filled with confusion.
"No.""
I looked at her.
"What?""
She pointed at the date.
"That video was recorded before I disappeared.""
"So?""
Her eyes widened.
"That means Nicole knew something was going to happen.""
The room went cold.
Because suddenly the question wasn't why Nicole lied.
It was something much worse.
May you like
What happened to my mother after that night?
And who made sure she never came home?
