Chapter 4: The Woman Who Knew Everything
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
“My mother?””
The words came out like a whisper.
Nathan looked away.
That was the moment I knew.
He wasn’t surprised that she was alive.
He was surprised that I found out.
“What did you just say?”” I asked.
Nathan stepped forward.
“Emily, listen to me.””
“No.””
My voice cracked.
“You said my mother.””
He looked at Linda.
Then at Vanessa.
Nobody spoke.
I felt something inside me breaking apart.
“My mother died when I was ten.””
Nathan swallowed.
“I know what you were told.””
The room became painfully quiet.
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?””
He didn’t answer.
I walked closer.
“What does that mean, Nathan?””
He looked exhausted.
“Your mother didn’t die.””
My entire body went cold.
The memories came rushing back.
The funeral.
The black dress.
The relatives whispering.
The empty house afterward.
I had spent my whole life believing I was abandoned by death.
Now I wondered if I had been abandoned by a lie.
“Who told me she died?””
Nathan looked at Linda.
My eyes followed his.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
Linda’s face turned pale.
“No.””
I stepped toward her.
“You knew.””
“Emily—”
“You knew.””
She looked down.
The answer was there.
I had spent twelve years sitting at the same table with a woman who knew the biggest secret of my life.
“How?””
My voice shook.
“How did you know?””
Linda sat down slowly.
“You were young.””
“That doesn’t answer my question.””
She looked older suddenly.
Not kinder.
Just older.
“Your mother came to me.””
I froze.
“She came to you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Linda’s fingers tightened around her purse.
“Because she needed help.””
I laughed softly.
“Help from you?””
She didn’t respond.
I looked at Nathan.
“And you knew?””
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“Almost from the beginning.””
I felt dizzy.
The beginning.
That phrase again.
Everything in my marriage suddenly felt like a room full of locked doors.
I walked toward the kitchen and held onto the counter.
“My entire life has been a secret.””
Nathan’s voice softened.
“I wanted to tell you.””
“When?””
He didn’t answer.
“After ten years?””
Silence.
“After twenty?””
“Emily…”
“No.””
I turned around.
“You don’t get to say my name like you’re the victim.””
Nathan looked hurt.
But I didn’t care anymore.
Not because I hated him.
Because I finally saw him clearly.
He wasn’t the man who protected me from pain.
He was the man who decided which pain I was allowed to know.
My phone buzzed.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
A message.
*Emily, I know you don’t remember me. But I have proof your husband and his family lied to you. Meet me alone.*
Below the message was a photo.
An old photograph.
My hands began trembling.
Because I recognized the woman standing beside me.
A younger version of myself.
A woman I hadn’t seen in decades.
My mother.
Alive.
Nathan noticed my expression.
“What is it?””
I locked the phone.
“Nothing.””
His eyes narrowed.
“Emily.””
For the first time, I lied to him.
“Just a spam message.””
He didn’t believe me.
Neither did I.
Because I knew one thing.
Someone out there had been waiting twelve years for me to discover the truth.
And now that I had opened the first door, they were ready to show me everything behind it.
That night, after I returned to Rachel’s house, I sat alone in the car for almost an hour.
I looked at the message again.
Then at the photograph.
My mother’s eyes stared back at me.
The same eyes I saw every morning when I looked in the mirror.
Finally, I typed one sentence.
*Where can we meet?*
The reply came instantly.
*Tomorrow. 9 PM. And Emily… come alone.*
I stared at those words.
Then another message appeared.
May you like
This one made my blood run cold.
*Because the person who destroyed your family will be there too.*
