Chapter 12: The Truth That Was Never Supposed To Be Found
After that phone call, my father changed.
He tried to hide it.
But I noticed.
The way he checked the windows.
The way he locked the doors twice.
The way he looked over his shoulder whenever we left the house.
For years, I had thought my father was protecting us from sadness.
Now I realized he might have been protecting us from something else.
Danger.
Mia noticed too.
“Dad is scared.””
I nodded.
“He is.””
She looked at me.
“Do you think Eric hurt Mom?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t want to believe it.
But I also couldn’t ignore the truth.
Someone had lied.
Someone had hidden information.
And someone had returned because they were afraid we were getting too close.
That evening, my father finally told us everything he knew about Eric.
“He was my best friend.””
I looked surprised.
“Your best friend?””
He nodded.
“Before Rachel.””
The room went silent.
“He was like a brother to me.””
Mia frowned.
“Then why would he be with Mom?””
My father looked devastated.
“Because I never knew he betrayed me.””
The words were heavy.
My father explained that Eric had always been around.
Family dinners.
Birthdays.
Important moments.
He was someone we trusted.
Someone my mother trusted.
Until one day, my father discovered Eric and Rachel had been secretly meeting.
That was when everything changed.
“But you stayed with Rachel?””
My father looked ashamed.
“I wanted to believe it wasn’t true.””
Mia laughed sadly.
“So you ignored the truth?””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised us.
“I thought admitting it would destroy everything.””
I looked at him.
“And did it?””
His eyes filled with regret.
“Yes.””
Nobody spoke.
Because sometimes the things people tried hardest to protect were the things that broke anyway.
The next morning, something unexpected happened.
A package arrived.
No sender.
No address.
Just my name.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a flash drive.
And a note.
“You deserve the truth.””
My hands shook.
My father immediately took it.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Dad.””
“This could be dangerous.””
“But what if it explains everything?””
He looked at Mia.
Then at me.
Finally, he plugged it in.
There was one video file.
Recorded years ago.
The screen showed my childhood home.
The date was the night my mother died.
Nobody breathed.
Then we saw Rachel.
And Eric.
Arguing.
My heart raced.
The audio was unclear at first.
Then we heard Rachel’s voice.
“You promised me.””
Eric responded.
“You’re the one who wanted this.””
My father’s face changed.
He knew.
He knew something terrible was coming.
Then my mother appeared on the screen.
Alive.
Standing in front of them.
And she said something that made all of us freeze.
“I know exactly what you two have been planning.””
Mia covered her mouth.
My father whispered:
“No…”
The video continued.
My mother looked terrified.
But she wasn’t weak.
She stood there facing them.
“You thought I would never find out.””
Rachel stepped forward.
“You don’t understand.””
“No,” my mother replied.
“I understand everything.””
The screen shook.
The recording became blurry.
Then we heard a loud noise.
A scream.
And the video ended.
Nobody spoke.
The truth was no longer a mystery.
But somehow…
It was worse.
Because my mother hadn’t died because of a random accident.
She had discovered something.
Something Rachel and Eric wanted hidden.
My father stared at the black screen.
Then quietly said:
“They tried to erase her.””
Mia looked at him.
“And now?””
My father looked toward the window.
His voice was barely a whisper.
“Now they know we found out.””
At that exact moment…
The front door opened.
Everyone froze.
Because nobody was supposed to be home.
Then a voice echoed through the hallway.
“You really should have stopped looking.””
May you like
Eric was standing there.
And he was smiling.
