Chapter 5 - The Truth Gemma Was Too Afraid to Reveal
For several seconds, nobody breathed.
The phone remained in Dominic’s hand.
The line was still connected.
But no one spoke.
Not me.
Not Dominic.
Not Adrian.
Especially not Adrian.
Because the fear on his face had answered a question before anyone else could.
He knew.
He knew exactly what Gemma meant.
I looked at him.
The man who had walked into my apartment claiming to know the truth.
The man who said Dominic was the danger.
The man who acted like he was the only person trying to save me.
Now he stood completely still.
Like he had just heard the one sentence he never wanted to hear.
“Gemma.”
Dominic’s voice was low.
Almost broken.
“Where are you?”
A few seconds passed.
Then her voice returned.
“Dominic?”
I closed my eyes.
Hearing her say his name felt impossible.
She was alive.
My best friend was alive.
The person who always made jokes when things were serious.
The person who never admitted when she was scared.
She sounded terrified.
“I’m here.”
Gemma breathed softly.
“You found Tessa.”
It wasn’t a question.
Dominic looked at me.
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then:
“Good.”
The word was filled with relief.
My throat tightened.
“Gemma.”
My voice came out shaky.
“Tessa?”
The moment I heard my name, everything inside me broke.
“Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because if I tell you, they’ll find me.”
“Who?”
Silence.
The kind of silence that meant someone was choosing their words carefully.
“Adrian.”
Everyone looked at him.
His face hardened.
“Don’t listen to her.”
Nobody moved.
Gemma heard him.
Her breathing changed.
“Tessa, get away from him.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Give me the phone.”
Dominic immediately moved between us.
“No.”
The word was quiet.
But dangerous.
Adrian looked at him.
“You’re making a mistake.”
Dominic’s expression didn’t change.
“No.”
A pause.
“I made my mistake years ago.”
I felt the tension between them.
Years of history.
Years of secrets.
Years of things I didn’t understand.
Gemma’s voice came again.
“Tessa, listen to me.”
I held the phone tighter.
“I’m listening.”
“Your mother wasn’t hiding from Dominic.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“She was hiding from Adrian.”
The room became silent.
I looked at him.
Adrian shook his head.
“She’s lying.”
Gemma continued.
“She found out what he did.”
“What did he do?”
A long pause.
Then:
“He was the one who gave away the information that got my father killed.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
Like hearing it confirmed still hurt.
Adrian’s expression changed.
“That’s impossible.”
But nobody believed him.
Not anymore.
I looked at Dominic.
“Is it true?”
His silence answered.
“Dominic.”
His voice was quiet.
“Yes.”
The word felt heavy.
I looked at Adrian.
“You knew?”
He didn’t respond.
“You knew what happened to your father.”
Adrian’s eyes moved toward me.
Then toward Dominic.
“You don’t understand.”
“No.”
My voice became stronger.
“I don’t.”
I stepped forward.
“So explain.”
For the first time since he arrived, Adrian looked less confident.
Less in control.
“My father was going to destroy everything.”
Dominic’s expression darkened.
“There it is.”
Adrian looked at him.
“You know I’m right.”
“No.”
Dominic’s voice became colder.
“You wanted power.”
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“You think you’re better than me?”
The words hung in the air.
Because they were not just an accusation.
They were a challenge.
“You spent years pretending you were different.”
Adrian continued.
“But you’re exactly like him.”
Dominic didn’t react.
And somehow, that was more frightening.
Because I realized something.
Adrian was trying to make Dominic angry.
Trying to pull him back into the person he used to be.
But Dominic refused.
“Gemma knew.”
Adrian looked at the phone.
“She always knew too much.”
My blood ran cold.
“What does that mean?”
Dominic looked at him.
“What did you do?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Dominic moved closer.
“What did you do?”
The room changed.
The calm disappeared.
The dangerous side of Dominic returned.
But this time, I understood the difference.
He wasn’t angry because his power was threatened.
He was angry because someone had hurt his sister.
Adrian stepped back slightly.
A small movement.
But I noticed.
He was afraid of Dominic.
Not the rumors.
Not the reputation.
The man himself.
Gemma’s voice came through the phone.
“Tessa.”
I turned my attention back.
“Yes.”
“There’s something else.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
A pause.
“Your mother left something with me.”
I froze.
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
Gemma sounded like she was crying.
“She knew this day would come.”
My hand trembled.
“Where is it?”
“I hid it.”
“Where?”
Another pause.
“Somewhere only you would find.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means…”
Her voice broke.
“She knew you better than anyone.”
I felt tears in my eyes.
Because that sounded exactly like my mother.
She always knew.
Even when she wasn’t there.
She always knew.
Gemma continued.
“Tessa, the truth about your mother isn’t just about what happened to her.”
“What is it about?”
A pause.
“It’s about what she left behind.”
I looked at Dominic.
He was listening carefully.
“Where?”
Gemma whispered:
“The pharmacy.”
My heart stopped.
The pharmacy.
My workplace.
The place I had spent years believing had nothing to do with my past.
“Why there?”
“Because your mother knew you would never look there.”
The line crackled.
“Gemma?”
Her breathing became faster.
“Tessa, I need you to do something.”
“What?”
“Do not let Dominic and Adrian go with you.”
The room froze.
Dominic looked at the phone.
“What?”
Gemma continued quickly.
“I trust Dominic.”
The words surprised me.
She continued:
“But the information your mother left behind can only be found by you.”
I swallowed.
“Why?”
“Because it was meant for you.”
The line became unstable.
“Gemma?”
Her voice became distant.
“One more thing.”
“What?”
A pause.
Then:
“I’m sorry I lied.”
My eyes filled.
“You didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
“You were trying to protect me.”
“No.”
Her voice broke.
“I was trying to protect myself.”
The honesty hurt.
Because that was Gemma.
She never pretended to be perfect.
She just tried to survive.
“I was scared.”
I closed my eyes.
“Gemma.”
“I was scared because I realized something.”
“What?”
A long pause.
Then:
“The person who destroyed my family has been watching yours for years.”
The phone suddenly crackled.
A sound.
Like someone moving near her.
Gemma whispered:
“They found me.”
My heart stopped.
“Gemma?”
No answer.
“Gemma!”
Then one final sentence.
Barely audible.
“Tessa… trust Dominic.”
The call ended.
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Not even Adrian.
I looked at Dominic.
The man Gemma once warned me about.
The man Gemma had just told me to trust.
Then I looked at Adrian.
The man who had come pretending to save me.
The man who now looked like everything was collapsing around him.
Dominic picked up his jacket.
“We’re going to the pharmacy.”
I nodded.
But before we could move, Adrian spoke.
“You’re making a mistake.”
Nobody answered.
He looked directly at me.
“If you go there, you’ll learn why your mother disappeared.”
A pause.
“And you’ll learn why Dominic has been lying to you since the beginning.”
I looked at Dominic.
Then back at Adrian.
For once, I wasn’t choosing who to believe.
I was choosing to find the truth.
“Maybe.”
I held the memory card tightly.
“But at least this time, I’ll find it myself.”
Dominic looked at me.
And something changed in his expression.
Respect.
Not protection.
Not pity.
Respect.
Because for the first time since this nightmare began…
I wasn’t someone they needed to save.
I was someone standing beside them.
And somewhere across the city, my best friend was waiting.
Because Gemma had left one final secret behind.
A secret hidden in the place where my old life began.
The pharmacy.
May you like
The place where I thought I was ordinary.
The place where I would finally discover who I really was.
