Chapter 4 - The Woman In The Video
The screen went black for three seconds.
No sound.
No movement.
Just a dark reflection of Wesley and me staring back at ourselves.
Then the video began.
A woman appeared on the monitor.
She was sitting in a hospital room.
The lighting was dim.
Her face looked tired.
Scared.
But I recognized her immediately.
Not because I had met her.
Because I had seen her before.
In the folder.
"Evelyn."
The name escaped my mouth.
Wesley looked at me.
His face turned pale.
"No."
I looked back at the screen.
The woman in the video was younger.
Maybe six years younger.
But it was clearly her.
She looked directly into the camera.
Like she knew someone would eventually watch it.
Like she had been waiting.
"My name is Evelyn Hart," she said quietly.
Her voice trembled.
"If you are watching this, it means Wesley failed to keep the truth hidden."
I turned toward my husband.
He didn't move.
The video continued.
"I know you probably don't trust me."
Evelyn paused.
"And honestly, you shouldn't."
My heart started beating faster.
The woman on the screen looked down.
"When I first met Wesley Carver, I believed he was the only person who could help me."
The video cut briefly.
A hospital hallway appeared.
St. Alden.
Six years earlier.
"I was brought here under a different name."
I looked at Wesley.
"What does that mean?"
He didn't answer.
"Evelyn was involved in a witness protection case," Wesley finally whispered.
I turned to him.
"What?"
He swallowed.
"I didn't know everything."
The video continued.
"They told me my identity had to disappear."
Evelyn looked back at the camera.
"But someone inside St. Alden found out who I really was."
The room became colder.
"Someone who had access to my records."
A pause.
"Someone who had access to Wesley's badge."
My eyes moved to the security badge sitting on Wesley's desk.
The same badge another woman had used.
The same badge that had started everything.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
Wesley looked at me.
"Because I thought it was over."
I almost laughed.
"Over?"
I pointed at the screen.
"A woman walked into your office today using your badge."
His jaw tightened.
"I know."
"No, Wesley."
My voice became sharper.
"You don't get to say you know."
The video continued.
"I discovered someone was using my identity."
Evelyn's voice became quieter.
"At first, I thought they wanted money."
She shook her head.
"I was wrong."
The video froze for a second.
Then a document appeared.
A hospital access report.
My eyes widened.
Because the name at the top wasn't Evelyn Hart.
It was:
EMMA CARVER.
I stopped breathing.
"What?"
Wesley looked away.
I stood up.
"Why is my name there?"
He didn't answer.
"Why is my name on a security report from six years ago?"
The silence was unbearable.
I walked closer to him.
"Wesley."
He finally spoke.
"Because someone tried to use your identity before you knew."
My entire body went still.
"Someone used my identity?"
He nodded.
"But I stopped it."
"When?"
"Six years ago."
I stared at him.
Six years ago.
The same year he met Evelyn.
The same year he created a file with my name.
The same year he started keeping secrets.
"Tell me everything."
Wesley sat down.
For the first time, he looked like someone who was exhausted from carrying a secret.
"Six years ago, I found an unauthorized access attempt."
"On my records?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
He looked at the screen.
"Because someone was trying to make it appear that you were connected to a medical case."
I frowned.
"What case?"
He hesitated.
"Sarah Mitchell."
The name from the message.
The name he refused to explain.
"Who was Sarah?"
Wesley looked at me.
"She was a patient."
"Your patient?"
"No."
His answer was immediate.
"Then why is her name connected to me?"
He didn't speak.
I felt anger rising.
"You keep saying you're protecting me."
My voice cracked.
"But every secret you keep creates another reason not to trust you."
Wesley lowered his eyes.
"I know."
The honesty hurt.
Because I wanted him to deny it.
I wanted him to fight.
Instead, he looked guilty.
The video played again.
Evelyn appeared.
"There is one thing you need to know about Wesley."
I looked at the screen.
She looked directly into the camera.
"He didn't betray you."
I froze.
Wesley looked surprised.
"He was trying to save you."
I turned toward him.
"What?"
Evelyn continued.
"But he made the same mistake everyone makes."
She paused.
"He thought hiding the truth would keep people safe."
The video suddenly glitched.
The image distorted.
Then another file appeared.
A folder.
Inside were dozens of videos.
Each one had a date.
Each one had a name.
I moved closer.
There were files labeled:
EVELYN HART.
SARAH MITCHELL.
EMMA CARVER.
My hand covered my mouth.
"Why are there videos with my name?"
Wesley stood.
"I don't know."
But I knew he was lying.
Not because he looked guilty.
Because he looked terrified.
The computer suddenly made a notification sound.
A new file appeared.
Created today.
Five minutes ago.
The title was:
"THE WOMAN WHO THINKS SHE KNOWS HER HUSBAND."
Neither of us moved.
Then the file opened.
A video began.
It showed the hospital lobby.
From a security camera.
I saw myself walking into St. Alden.
Holding the lunch bag.
Then the camera angle changed.
A different hallway.
A different day.
My heart stopped.
Because I recognized the person walking through the entrance.
Me.
But it wasn't today.
It was years ago.
I was wearing a coat I remembered.
Carrying a handbag I owned.
Walking beside Wesley.
I looked at him.
"When was this?"
He didn't answer.
The video continued.
A younger version of me entered the hospital.
Then someone approached me.
A woman.
I couldn't see her face.
The screen zoomed in.
The woman handed me something.
A small black envelope.
The same kind of envelope sitting beneath Wesley's desk.
I whispered:
"I don't remember this."
Wesley looked at me.
"You should."
I turned.
"What?"
His expression changed.
"Because you were the one who gave me that envelope."
I stared at him.
"No."
"Emma..."
"No."
I shook my head.
"I would remember."
The video showed the younger version of me opening the envelope.
Then the camera cut.
The screen went black.
A message appeared.
"ASK HER ABOUT THE NIGHT SHE FORGOT."
I felt my hands become cold.
"What night?"
Wesley didn't answer.
Because his phone started ringing.
Again.
Unknown number.
This time, he answered immediately.
"Who is this?"
Silence.
Then a woman's voice.
A voice I had never heard.
But somehow...
it felt familiar.
"Wesley."
He froze.
The woman continued.
"She finally saw the video."
Wesley's face changed.
"Where are you?"
A pause.
Then the woman whispered:
"Ask your wife why she erased her own memory."
I looked at Wesley.
"What did she say?"
He didn't respond.
Because the voice on the phone spoke one more sentence.
And this time, I heard it clearly.
"Emma, you were never the victim."
The call ended.
May you like
At that exact moment, the office door slowly opened behind me.
Someone was standing there holding the missing black envelope.
