Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Knew Too Much
A woman stood frozen beside her kitchen table, whispering: "Daniel?"
When I opened the door, I discovered my former best friend holding an old envelope with Emma's name written across it. Inside was a letter my aunt had hidden before she died. But the final line said: "Never trust the person who tells you they are protecting you." I suddenly realized the person I feared was not the only person who had lied to me.
The voice behind me made my entire body freeze.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it hundreds of times.
During birthday dinners.
During holidays.
During the nights when I cried silently after another argument with Daniel.
The voice that always told me everything would be okay.
"Claire?"
My former best friend stood in my doorway.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Rebecca was still beside me.
Her eyes moved between us.
"Do you know her?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because I didn't know what answer was true anymore.
Claire had been my closest friend for years.
She was the person I called after my first fight with Daniel.
The person who brought me coffee when I was too exhausted to leave the house.
The person who sat beside me when I cried and told me I deserved better.
She knew everything.
Every secret.
Every bruise.
Every moment I wanted to leave but couldn't.
And now she was standing in my apartment.
Holding an envelope.
With Emma's name written on it.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
Claire looked at me.
Her face was pale.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Afraid.
"I tried to stop this."
My chest tightened.
"Stop what?"
She looked at Rebecca.
Then back at me.
"Everything."
I almost laughed.
Because that was the kind of answer people gave when they didn't want to tell the truth.
"Claire, you need to leave."
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"I know you hate me right now."
"I don't hate you."
I looked at the envelope.
"I just don't know who you are."
That hurt her.
I saw it.
But I couldn't let that stop me anymore.
Too many times, I had ignored my own pain because someone else looked uncomfortable.
Claire slowly stepped inside.
"I found this yesterday."
"Where?"
"Your aunt's storage unit."
I stared at her.
"My aunt's storage unit?"
She nodded.
"After Daniel contacted the police, I knew something was wrong."
"How did you know?"
Claire looked down.
And that was when I realized.
She knew more than she had told me.
"Claire."
She closed her eyes.
"I helped your aunt before she died."
The room became silent.
Rebecca crossed her arms.
"Explain."
Claire placed the envelope on the table.
"Your aunt knew Daniel was hiding something."
I looked at the envelope.
"How long?"
"Almost a year before she passed away."
My stomach dropped.
A year.
My aunt knew.
She knew something was wrong.
And she was trying to protect me.
"Why didn't she tell me?"
Claire looked at me sadly.
"Because she was afraid."
"Of Daniel?"
Claire hesitated.
"Not only Daniel."
That answer scared me more.
Rebecca picked up the envelope.
"Is this sealed?"
Claire nodded.
"It was supposed to be opened only if something happened."
"What kind of something?"
Claire looked directly at me.
"If Daniel ever tried to claim what belonged to you."
My fingers went cold.
Because that was exactly what happened.
Rebecca carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was a single letter.
The handwriting was my aunt's.
My eyes immediately filled.
I hadn't seen her handwriting since the funeral.
Since the day I lost the person who had always protected me.
Rebecca began reading.
"My dear niece,
If you are reading this, then someone has finally forced you to look at the truth you refused to see."
I swallowed.
Because my aunt knew me too well.
The letter continued.
"I wanted to tell you everything myself, but I was afraid that telling you too soon would put you in danger."
Danger.
That word stayed in my mind.
Rebecca kept reading.
"Daniel Parker is not the man he claims to be."
I closed my eyes.
Even though I already knew.
Seeing those words from my aunt hurt differently.
"He did not create his company alone. He was given access to funds that were never his. He was trusted by someone who believed he was honest."
Emma.
I looked at Claire.
"Who is Emma?"
Claire didn't answer.
Rebecca continued.
"Emma was the original investor behind Daniel's company."
I frowned.
"Investor?"
"Yes."
Rebecca looked up.
"Your aunt mentioned her several times."
The letter continued.
"Emma believed Daniel would protect her investment. Instead, he used her trust against her."
My heartbeat increased.
"How?"
Rebecca turned the page.
Then stopped.
"What?"
She looked uncomfortable.
"What does it say?"
Rebecca handed me the letter.
I read the next sentence.
"Daniel did not steal from Emma. He made everyone believe Emma disappeared."
I looked up.
"What does that mean?"
Nobody answered.
Claire slowly sat down.
"I know."
I stared at her.
"You know where Emma is?"
Claire looked at me.
"I know why everyone thinks she disappeared."
"Why?"
She took a deep breath.
"Because Daniel needed her gone."
The room felt smaller.
"Did he hurt her?"
Claire looked away.
"I don't know."
That answer was worse.
Because it meant there were possibilities.
"What do you know?"
Claire reached into her bag.
She pulled out another photograph.
This one was older.
It showed Daniel.
Emma.
And another person.
I recognized him immediately.
My hands started shaking.
Because I had seen that face before.
Not in photographs.
In my own home.
At my own dinner table.
"That's impossible."
Rebecca looked at the picture.
"Who is that?"
I couldn't speak.
Because the third person in the photograph was the last person I expected.
The person who had defended Daniel.
The person who had told me I was overreacting.
The person who had encouraged me to forgive him every single time.
Lorraine.
My mother-in-law.
Claire whispered:
"She wasn't just Daniel's mother."
I looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
Claire looked terrified.
"She was there when Emma disappeared."
The silence afterward felt heavier than anything I had ever experienced.
Because suddenly every conversation made sense.
Every time Lorraine blamed me.
Every time she protected Daniel.
Every time she told me to stay quiet.
She wasn't defending her son.
She was protecting a secret.
Rebecca stood up.
"We need to find Emma before they know we have this."
I looked at her.
"Who is they?"
Nobody answered.
Because at that exact moment, my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One new message.
I opened it.
A photograph appeared.
My hands went numb.
It was a picture of Claire.
Taken five minutes earlier.
Inside my apartment.
Standing behind her was someone else.
Someone we didn't notice.
Below the photo was a sentence.
"You finally found the person who helped you."
Another message appeared.
"Now find the person who betrayed you."
I looked toward the hallway.
The same hallway where Claire had entered.
The same hallway where we thought nobody else was.
Then the lights suddenly turned off.
May you like
And from the darkness, a man's voice whispered:
"Hello, Claire."
