Chapter 8 - The Person Who Knew Everything
I turned around.
And I stopped breathing.
Because the person standing behind me was not a stranger.
It was Linda.
My stepmother.
The woman who had spent years telling me I was difficult.
The woman who watched Brooke hurt me.
The woman who stood beside my father every time I needed someone to stand against him.
She wasn't holding a weapon.
She wasn't running.
She was just standing there.
Watching.
Like she had been waiting for this moment.
The officer immediately moved between us.
"Ma'am, step away."
Linda didn't move.
Her eyes stayed on me.
Not angry.
Not afraid.
Almost sad.
That was the worst part.
Because sadness was something I never expected from her.
Not after everything.
"Tell me it's not true," I whispered.
Linda looked down.
And that was enough.
The truth didn't always need words.
Sometimes people confessed by avoiding your eyes.
My father suddenly stepped forward.
"Linda."
She looked at him.
And something changed.
The fear on her face disappeared.
Replaced by exhaustion.
"I can't keep doing this, Richard."
The room became silent.
My father stared at her.
"What are you saying?"
She laughed quietly.
A broken laugh.
"The same thing I should have said fourteen years ago."
My heart started pounding.
Daniel looked at her.
"You knew."
Linda looked at him.
"Yes."
The word hit harder than I expected.
Not because I was surprised.
Because some part of me had still hoped.
I had spent my entire life trying to find one person in that house who secretly cared.
One person who saw what was happening.
One person who would admit I wasn't the problem.
And now I found out someone did know.
She just stayed silent.
I looked at her.
"How long?"
Linda swallowed.
"Since before your mother died."
The room felt colder.
My father's face changed.
"Don't."
Linda looked at him.
"No."
Her voice was calm.
"I'm done protecting you."
My father stepped closer.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
"No."
She shook her head.
"I understand exactly what I did."
She looked at me.
"And I have to live with it."
I didn't know what to say.
Because anger was easy.
Hatred was easy.
But seeing regret on someone's face was harder.
It forced me to remember they were human.
And sometimes humans made choices that destroyed other people.
The officer looked between everyone.
"Someone needs to explain everything."
Daniel nodded.
"She should hear it from the beginning."
I looked at him.
"Then tell me."
My voice was quiet.
But everyone listened.
Daniel opened the folder.
Fourteen years of secrets sat inside.
"My sister Sarah discovered Richard was involved in illegal financial operations."
My father immediately interrupted.
"That is not true."
The officer looked at him.
"Mr. Vale."
My father stopped.
Daniel continued.
"Sarah found documents showing money transfers, fake accounts, and people being paid to hide information."
He placed papers on the table.
"She planned to report it."
I looked at my mother's documents.
"Then why didn't she?"
Daniel looked at me.
"Because Richard found out."
My stomach tightened.
"He threatened her?"
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
That was the answer.
My hands started shaking.
"She was afraid of him."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
I looked at my father.
The man who raised me.
The man whose name I carried.
The man who told me family protected each other.
"You killed her."
The words came out before I could stop them.
My father looked at me.
"I didn't."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Linda whispered:
"But you let it happen."
Everyone turned.
My father's face went pale.
Linda continued.
"That's the truth, Richard."
The officer looked at her.
"Explain."
Linda closed her eyes.
"I was there that night."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
She looked at me.
"I was there when your mother found out."
The room disappeared.
The only thing I could hear was my own heartbeat.
"You were there?"
Linda nodded.
"Your mother called me."
"Why?"
"Because she thought I would help her."
A tear moved down Linda's face.
"She trusted me."
I felt something break inside.
Because my mother had trusted her.
And she betrayed that trust.
"What did you do?"
Linda looked at the floor.
"I was scared."
The same words.
Always the same words.
Everyone was scared.
But somehow, I was the one who paid the price.
"I should have helped her."
Linda's voice cracked.
"I should have taken you and left."
The officer asked:
"What happened that night?"
Linda looked at my father.
And my father looked away.
"Richard confronted Sarah."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"What did he do?"
Linda shook her head.
"I don't know everything."
"Tell us what you know."
She took a deep breath.
"Sarah had evidence."
She looked at me.
"And she had a plan."
My eyes narrowed.
"What plan?"
Linda looked toward the hidden room.
"The backup."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
The officer looked confused.
"Backup?"
Daniel opened another document.
"Sarah knew Richard would search her house."
He looked at me.
"So she created copies."
My heart started beating faster.
"How many?"
Daniel looked at the files.
"Three."
The officer asked:
"Where are they?"
Nobody answered.
Then Linda spoke.
"One was the necklace."
I touched the pendant.
"One was the flash drive."
Daniel nodded.
"And the third..."
He stopped.
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
Daniel looked at me.
"The third one was never found."
A cold feeling moved through me.
"Why?"
Daniel's face changed.
"Because Sarah gave it to someone."
"Who?"
He looked toward my father.
"Someone Richard trusted."
My father suddenly stepped backward.
"No."
The officer noticed.
"Who?"
Daniel reached into the folder.
He pulled out another photograph.
And placed it on the table.
"This person had access to everything."
I picked up the photo.
At first, I didn't recognize the person.
Then I saw the background.
The room.
The date.
The person standing beside my mother.
My hands went numb.
Because I knew that face.
I had seen it every day.
A person I trusted.
A person who had raised me.
A person who had always been there.
Daniel whispered:
"The third copy was hidden with the only person Richard never suspected."
The lights flickered again.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
I looked down.
A new message appeared.
From an unknown number.
One sentence.
One warning.
"Don't trust Linda."
I looked up.
But Linda was already crying.
Because she had seen the message too.
May you like
And then she whispered:
"Elena... I wasn't the person your mother was warning you about."
