Chapter 13: The Night Emily Disappeared
I kept the note in my pocket for three days.
Not because I didn't want answers.
Because I was afraid of them.
There was something about the sentence that bothered me.
Ask Daniel what happened the night Emily disappeared.
Not what happened when Emily left.
Not what happened when she tried to escape.
Disappeared.
That word suggested something different.
Something hidden.
Something nobody had told me.
And after everything I had learned about the Mercer family, I knew one thing:
The truth was never buried by accident.
Someone always buried it.
Daniel finally came home late Tuesday night.
I was sitting on the couch in our apartment, pretending to watch television.
The moment he walked in, I knew something had changed.
He looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like someone who had spent days fighting a battle nobody else could see.
"Claire.""
I turned.
"Where were you?""
He stopped.
"I needed space.""
"For three days?""
He looked away.
"I was with my father.""
That surprised me.
"Why?""
"Because I needed to know if he remembered things the way I did.""
I stood.
"What things?""
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
And I knew.
He knew about the note.
Not this note.
The one from Emily.
The one he kept hidden.
There were still pieces of the story he hadn't given me.
"Daniel.""
He closed his eyes.
"She disappeared because of me.""
The words landed like a physical blow.
"What?""
He sat down.
I watched him carefully.
This wasn't the defensive Daniel I had argued with.
This was someone finally admitting something he had carried for years.
"Five years ago, Emily came to me.""
I said nothing.
"She told me she was leaving.""
"California.""
He nodded.
"She had everything planned.""
"The apartment. The job.""
"Yes.""
I waited.
"What happened?""
Daniel looked at his hands.
"My mother found out.""
My stomach tightened.
"How?""
"I don't know.""
"You don't know?""
"No.""
He looked frustrated.
"With my mother, it doesn't matter how. She always knows.""
I understood that too well.
"What did she do?""
Daniel swallowed.
"She called me.""
Five years earlier.
Daniel had been living alone.
He had his own apartment.
His own career.
His own life.
Or at least, he thought he did.
When Victoria called him that night, she didn't sound angry.
She sounded afraid.
That was unusual.
His mother was never afraid.
"Daniel, your sister needs help.""
Those were her first words.
Not:
Emily is leaving.
Not:
Emily needs freedom.
Help.
That was the word she used.
Daniel rushed home.
He found Emily packing.
A suitcase near the door.
Her passport in her hand.
And for the first time, he saw something he hadn't seen in years.
Hope.
"You're really doing this?""
Emily looked at him.
"I have to.""
"Mom says you're making a mistake.""
Emily laughed sadly.
"Mom says a lot of things.""
Daniel remembered being angry.
Not at Emily.
At the situation.
He thought he was protecting her.
He thought he was stopping her from making a terrible decision.
So he said the words he regretted most.
"You can't just run away.""
Emily stared at him.
"I'm not running.""
"Then what are you doing?""
"Leaving.""
The difference was obvious.
But Daniel didn't understand then.
"You're not thinking clearly.""
The moment he said it, Emily went quiet.
Because those were Victoria's words.
Not his.
"Do you believe that?""
Daniel remembered her asking.
"Do you really believe I'm incapable of knowing what I want?""
And he had no answer.
That was when Victoria appeared.
Not angry.
Not shouting.
Calm.
Always calm.
"Emily.""
His mother smiled.
"Your brother is here because he loves you.""
Emily looked at Daniel.
And he remembered something painful.
She wasn't looking at him for permission.
She was looking at him for support.
And he failed.
"I told her to stay," Daniel said.
I stared at him.
"You convinced her not to leave.""
He nodded.
"Yes.""
"Why are you calling that disappearing?""
"Because the next morning, she was gone.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"After we argued, she went upstairs.""
"And?""
"I thought she was sleeping.""
His voice became quieter.
"When I woke up, her room was empty.""
My heart raced.
"What did your parents say?""
"My mother said Emily had a breakdown.""
"And you believed her?""
Daniel looked at me.
"I wanted to.""
That answer hurt.
Because sometimes people don't believe lies because they are stupid.
They believe because the truth is too painful.
"What happened next?""
"My mother said Emily had gone somewhere.""
"Where?""
"She wouldn't tell me.""
"Daniel.""
He looked at me.
"I spent two days looking for her.""
I froze.
"What?""
"I thought she was missing.""
"Was she?""
He nodded.
"Yes.""
A cold feeling moved through me.
"Where did you find her?""
Daniel looked away.
"I didn't.""
"What?""
"My mother did.""
Silence.
"She brought Emily home.""
"From where?""
"She wouldn't say.""
I felt sick.
"Daniel, how do you not know?""
His voice broke.
"Because I was afraid to ask.""
There it was again.
Fear.
The foundation of the Mercer family.
Everyone knew.
Nobody asked.
Everyone suffered.
Nobody spoke.
The next day, I went to see Emily.
She opened the door and immediately knew.
"What did he tell you?""
I stepped inside.
"The truth.""
Emily smiled sadly.
"No.""
I looked at her.
"He told you his version.""
"What really happened?""
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she walked toward the window.
"I made it halfway.""
"Halfway where?""
"To the airport.""
My heart tightened.
"And?""
"My mother found me.""
"How?""
Emily shook her head.
"I still don't know.""
"What happened?""
She was quiet.
Then:
"She convinced me to come home.""
"How?""
Emily looked at me.
"She told me Daniel had been arrested.""
I froze.
"What?""
"She said I had caused problems and he was taking the blame.""
"That wasn't true.""
"No.""
Emily looked down.
"But I believed her.""
Because at that moment, Emily was not weak.
She was terrified.
And Victoria knew exactly how to use that.
"What happened after you came back?""
Emily's voice became almost a whisper.
"I lost everything.""
"What do you mean?""
"My phone.""
"My accounts.""
"My friends.""
"My freedom.""
I felt tears forming.
"Why didn't you tell Daniel?""
She looked at me.
"I did.""
"And?""
"He said I was confused.""
The same sentence.
The same wound.
Different day.
When I left Emily's house, I called Daniel.
He answered immediately.
"Claire?""
"Did you know your mother lied to Emily about me?""
Silence.
"What?""
I closed my eyes.
"She told Emily you were arrested.""
A long pause.
Then:
"I didn't know.""
And I believed him.
Because this time, he sounded genuinely shocked.
But that created another question.
If Daniel didn't know everything...
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And why was Victoria so determined to keep everyone apart?
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