Chapter 8: The Woman in the Tunnel
The footsteps stopped outside the room.
Nobody spoke.
I could feel Maya’s fingers wrapped around my hand.
She was shaking.
But she wasn’t running.
Neither was I.
Because after everything I had learned that night, one thing had become painfully clear.
The truth wasn’t hiding anymore.
It was coming for me.
“Ethan,” the voice called again.
Soft.
Almost gentle.
“Please.””
Daniel looked at me.
His face had gone completely white.
“You can’t trust her.””
I whispered:
“Who is she?””
He swallowed.
“My sister.””
I stared at him.
“You mean…”
He nodded.
“Our aunt.””
The woman stepped into the room.
The weak hallway light revealed her face.
Older than the photographs.
Older than the memories.
But I recognized her.
Not because I remembered her.
Because I had seen her face in old family albums.
My mother’s sister.
The woman everyone said disappeared after the accident.
“Ethan,” she whispered.
My throat tightened.
“You’re alive.””
She gave a sad smile.
“So is your mother.””
The words hit me like a wave.
I stepped forward.
“Where is she?””
Daniel immediately grabbed my arm.
“Wait.””
I pulled away.
“No. I’ve waited fifteen years.””
The woman looked at Maya.
Then lowered herself slowly.
“You’re the brave girl.””
Maya stared at her.
Then signed.
You helped him.
The woman’s eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.””
I looked between them.
“You know each other?””
She nodded.
“Your father found out Maya’s father was in danger. He knew he couldn’t save everyone.””
She looked at the recorder in my hand.
“He created a backup plan.””
“What plan?””
“To make sure the truth survived.””
A loud crash echoed from the tunnel.
Everyone froze.
The man was getting closer.
The woman stood.
“We don’t have much time.””
I stepped in front of her.
“I need answers.””
“You’ll get them.””
“Now.””
She looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw the pain behind her eyes.
“Your mother survived the accident.””
I held my breath.
“But she was badly injured. The people hunting your father thought she died because he made them believe it.””
“Why?””
“Because they needed a reason to stop searching.””
I shook my head.
“Then why didn’t she come back?””
The woman looked down.
“Because she tried.””
My heart sank.
“What does that mean?””
“She was caught.””
Silence.
“By them?””
The woman nodded.
“For years.””
Maya’s eyes widened.
I looked at her.
“Then how is she alive?””
The woman hesitated.
And that hesitation scared me.
“She escaped six months ago.””
“Six months?””
I felt anger rising.
“She’s been alive for six months and nobody told me?””
“She was waiting.””
“For what?””
The woman looked directly at me.
“For you to be ready.””
A noise came from behind us.
Closer.
The man was almost there.
Daniel picked up a metal pipe from the floor.
“We need to go.””
The woman pointed toward another exit.
“There’s a way out.””
We moved quickly.
But before I left, I looked at her.
“One question.””
She stopped.
“Who betrayed them?””
Her expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“I can’t tell you.””
“Why?””
“Because he’s been protecting you your entire life.””
The answer made no sense.
“How can someone who betrayed them protect me?””
She looked at Daniel.
Then at me.
“Because the person who betrayed them…”
She swallowed.
“…is your father.””
The world went silent.
“No.””
Daniel looked away.
My heart pounded.
“That’s impossible.””
The woman shook her head.
“Your father didn’t betray you, Ethan.””
Footsteps echoed behind us.
The man was entering the room.
“He betrayed them.””
She grabbed my hand.
“Those are two very different things.””
The tunnel lights suddenly flickered.
And from behind us, the man shouted:
“Don’t listen to her!””
I turned.
He was standing at the end of the passage.
And beside him…
Was Rick.
Bleeding.
Barely standing.
The man smiled.
“Now you finally get to hear the whole truth.””
He raised something in his hand.
A photograph.
A newer photograph.
One that showed my father.
Standing beside a woman.
A woman who looked exactly like me.
The man whispered:
“Your father wasn’t hiding from us.””
May you like
He looked at me.
“He was hiding you from your mother.””
