Chapter 12: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The day after the family dinner, Daniel disappeared.
No calls.
No messages.
Nothing.
At first, I was angry.
Then I became worried.
Because I knew Daniel.
He didn't run from problems.
He buried them.
And after everything that happened, I knew something had broken inside him.
Around noon, I received a message.
Not from Daniel.
From Victoria.
"Come alone.""
I stared at the screen.
My first instinct was to ignore it.
My second was curiosity.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that makes people walk toward the fire just to understand why it burns.
I went.
Victoria was waiting in her office.
Not the elegant public rooms.
Her private office.
That surprised me.
Because it was the first place in the entire house that didn't look perfect.
There were files everywhere.
Old photographs.
Documents.
A wall covered with newspaper articles.
She noticed me looking.
"This is where real decisions happen.""
I sat down.
"What do you want?""
She smiled.
"You have changed.""
"Is that surprising?""
"A little.""
She poured herself tea.
"You were so impressed by this family when you first arrived.""
"I was.""
"And now?""
I looked around.
"Now I think I was looking at a painting.""
Her eyebrow lifted.
"And?""
"Beautiful from far away.""
I paused.
"But fake up close.""
For the first time, Victoria didn't pretend to smile.
Good.
I wanted her to stop pretending.
"You think you know what happened.""
"I know enough.""
"No.""
She leaned forward.
"You know Emily's story.""
"Isn't that what matters?""
"No.""
Her voice became quieter.
"You don't know mine.""
I almost dismissed it.
Almost.
But something in her expression stopped me.
Not because I trusted her.
Because I wanted to understand.
"What is your story?""
Victoria looked at the window.
"When Daniel was young, his father nearly destroyed this family.""
I listened.
"Richard made terrible decisions. Financially. Personally.""
"You're blaming him?""
"I'm explaining.""
She continued.
"I spent years fixing his mistakes.""
"And Emily?""
Victoria's expression softened slightly.
"My daughter was always sensitive.""
There it was again.
The word.
Sensitive.
A word that sounded kind but could be used as a weapon.
"She needed protection.""
"No.""
Victoria looked at me.
"You don't understand.""
"Then explain.""
She was silent.
Then she said:
"Emily tried to hurt herself.""
The room froze.
I didn't know what to say.
"When?""
"Five years ago.""
The same time she tried to leave.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?""
"Because Daniel wanted to protect you.""
I stared at her.
Was this true?
Was there another side?
Victoria continued.
"Emily has a way of making people feel responsible for her pain.""
I felt torn.
Because now there was a possibility I had ignored.
What if Emily really had been struggling?
What if Victoria wasn't lying about everything?
Then Victoria placed another document on the desk.
"Read this.""
I looked at it.
A hospital record.
Emily's name.
A date.
My heart raced.
Because if this was real...
Everything changed.
But then I noticed something.
The admission date.
It was three days after Emily's attempted escape.
Not before.
After.
I looked up.
"This doesn't prove what you think it proves.""
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
"You are smarter than I expected.""
I stood.
"Why did you really call me here?""
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she said:
"Because you are becoming dangerous.""
The honesty surprised me.
"Dangerous?""
"You ask questions.""
"Shouldn't I?""
"Not when you don't understand the consequences.""
I walked toward the door.
Then she said:
"Claire.""
I stopped.
"Daniel is not as strong as you think.""
I turned.
"What does that mean?""
"It means when forced to choose between you and his family...""
She paused.
"You may not like his decision.""
I left without answering.
But her words followed me.
Because for the first time, I wasn't just afraid of Victoria.
I was afraid she might know Daniel better than I did.
And when I reached my car, I found something under the windshield wiper.
A folded piece of paper.
No name.
No explanation.
Only one sentence.
"Ask Daniel what happened the night Emily disappeared.""
My heart stopped.
Because I had thought I knew the biggest secret in the Mercer family.
May you like
I was wrong.
The worst secret was still waiting.
