Chapter 5 - The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
Daniel Harrison stared at the message on his phone.
"She was never gone."
Below it was a location.
And beneath the location was a name.
Emma Harrison.
His wife.
The woman he buried five years ago.
The woman he had watched disappear from his life.
The woman whose funeral he had attended alone after the accident that destroyed everything.
Daniel read the message again.
Then again.
His mind refused to accept it.
"This is impossible."
Thomas Reed didn't respond.
That scared Daniel more than anything.
Because Thomas was the only person in the room who looked like he already knew the impossible was real.
"You knew."
Thomas looked away.
Daniel stepped closer.
"You knew she was alive."
Thomas remained silent.
"Thomas."
The former employee finally looked at him.
"I knew there was a possibility."
Daniel laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because it hurt.
"A possibility?"
His voice cracked.
"My wife has been alive for five years, and you call it a possibility?"
Thomas lowered his eyes.
"I didn't know where she was."
Daniel pointed at the phone.
"But someone does."
A long silence filled the room.
Lily stood near the table, watching them.
She looked scared.
Not of Daniel.
Of what was happening.
Daniel noticed.
"How long have you known?"
Lily shook her head.
"I didn't know she was alive."
"Then why did she write those letters?"
Lily looked down.
"Because she told me that one day you might find out."
Daniel froze.
"She talked about me?"
Lily nodded.
"All the time."
Those words hurt.
Because Daniel had spent five years believing he had lost his wife.
But apparently, somewhere in the world, Emma had still been thinking about him.
Still protecting him.
Still hiding from something.
"Why would she leave me?"
The question escaped before Daniel could stop it.
Lily's expression softened.
"She didn't leave you."
Daniel looked at her.
"Then what happened?"
Lily hesitated.
"Your wife tried to come home."
The room became silent.
"What?"
Thomas stepped forward.
"The accident wasn't an accident."
Daniel already knew.
But hearing it again made the pain sharper.
"Emma discovered someone inside Harrison Industries was planning to destroy evidence. She tried to expose them."
"Who?"
Thomas looked at him.
"The same person who made sure everyone believed she died."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"My father."
Nobody spoke.
The silence was enough.
Daniel turned away.
He wanted to deny it.
He wanted to say Richard Harrison could never do something like that.
But every piece of evidence was pointing in one direction.
The hidden letters.
The surveillance footage.
The message.
The photograph.
His wife's fear.
Everything.
Daniel grabbed his jacket.
"We're going to that location."
Thomas immediately shook his head.
"No."
Daniel looked at him.
"No?"
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
Thomas walked closer.
"If Emma wanted you to find her, she would have contacted you herself."
Daniel stopped.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying this message might not be from Emma."
Daniel stared at the phone.
A cold feeling moved through him.
Someone knew he was searching.
Someone knew Lily was with him.
Someone knew he had discovered the truth.
"So it's a trap."
Thomas nodded.
"Probably."
Daniel looked at Sophie.
His daughter was sitting quietly on the couch.
She was watching him.
Trying to understand why her father looked broken.
Daniel immediately softened.
He walked toward her.
"I'm sorry."
Sophie looked confused.
"For what?"
Daniel sat beside her.
"For not listening."
The little girl looked at him.
"About Lily?"
Daniel shook his head.
"About everything."
Sophie didn't say anything.
She simply held his hand.
A small gesture.
But it meant everything.
For months, Daniel had tried to fix his daughter's sadness with expensive gifts.
New toys.
New experiences.
More opportunities.
But he never stopped to ask why she was hurting.
A homeless teenager had done what he couldn't.
She listened.
Daniel looked at Lily.
"How did you meet my wife?"
Lily sat down slowly.
"She found me outside a hospital."
"When?"
"Seven years ago."
Daniel frowned.
"Before she died?"
Lily nodded.
"I was homeless after my father disappeared."
Daniel listened carefully.
"Emma saw me sleeping outside. Everyone else walked past."
Lily smiled sadly.
"But she stopped."
That sounded exactly like Emma.
"She helped me find a place to stay. She paid for school. She checked on me."
Daniel looked at the old backpack beside her.
"You kept everything."
Lily nodded.
"Because she told me one day I might need proof."
"Proof of what?"
Lily reached inside.
She pulled out a small flash drive.
Daniel stared.
"What is that?"
"Everything your wife found."
Thomas immediately became serious.
"Lily."
She looked at him.
"We can't keep hiding it."
Daniel took the flash drive.
"What's on it?"
Lily swallowed.
"The truth about who destroyed my father's life."
Daniel looked at Thomas.
"And my wife's death?"
Thomas didn't answer.
Daniel understood.
The answer was yes.
They moved to the apartment's small office.
Daniel connected the flash drive to his laptop.
Several folders appeared.
The names immediately caught his attention.
"Andrew Carter."
"Emma Investigation."
"Harrison Financial Records."
"Private Messages."
Daniel opened the first folder.
Documents appeared.
Bank transfers.
Hidden accounts.
Names.
Dates.
Amounts.
Then he saw something that made him stop.
A payment.
A large payment.
Transferred from a private account.
The recipient name was hidden.
But the date was familiar.
The same week Emma died.
Daniel opened another file.
A recorded audio appeared.
The title:
"Final conversation."
His hands became cold.
"What is this?"
Lily looked terrified.
"That's the last recording Emma made."
Daniel pressed play.
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then Emma's voice filled the room.
Daniel stopped breathing.
Because he hadn't heard that voice in five years.
"Daniel..."
His eyes immediately filled.
The recording continued.
"If you're hearing this, I don't know if I made it back."
Daniel covered his mouth.
Emma sounded afraid.
But determined.
"I found the person behind everything."
A pause.
Then her voice became quieter.
"And it's someone we both trusted."
Daniel looked at Thomas.
The former employee was staring at the floor.
The recording continued.
"I can't tell Daniel yet. If he knows too soon, they will come after him."
Daniel leaned closer.
Then Emma said one sentence that changed everything.
"The person helping them has access to our home."
Daniel froze.
Their home.
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then Daniel's phone vibrated.
Another message.
Unknown number.
He looked down.
One sentence.
"Stop listening before you hear the next file."
Daniel looked at the laptop.
A new folder had appeared.
A folder that wasn't there before.
Its name was:
May you like
"THE PERSON DANIEL LOVES MOST."
And before anyone could touch it, the apartment lights suddenly went out.
