Chapter 8 - EMILY’S FINAL MESSAGE

I read the letter slowly.

Every word felt like it was written directly into my heart.

My love,

If you are reading this, something happened to me.

I wish I was wrong.

I wish I was being paranoid.

But I have learned that the people closest to you can sometimes be the ones who hurt you the most.

My vision blurred.

I had to stop.

Juniper climbed onto the chair beside me.

“Daddy?”

I wiped my face quickly.

“I’m okay, sweetheart.”

She touched my hand.

“Are you sad?”

That question destroyed me.

Because children always know.

Even when adults try to hide everything.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I looked at her.

“Because I miss someone.”

“Mommy?”

I nodded.

Juniper smiled softly.

“Mommy says she loves us.”

My chest tightened.

“What?”

She pointed to her heart.

“Sometimes I hear her in my dreams.”

I looked away.

Trying not to cry.

Then I continued reading.

The letter revealed everything.

Emily knew her father was still alive.

She knew he had been hiding.

And she knew he had information about the people trying to destroy our family.

But the last part made me stop.

I read it three times.

Because I couldn’t believe it.

“Your father knows more than he admits.”

My hands tightened around the paper.

Clara watched me.

“What is it?”

I looked at her.

“Emily knew about my father.”

Clara nodded.

“She didn’t trust him.”

I stood up.

“I need to talk to him.”

“No.”

Clara grabbed my arm.

“You need to be careful.”

“He’s my father.”

“And he is also someone who kept a secret that almost got your daughter hurt.”

I knew she was right.

But I needed answers.

When we left the storage building, my phone rang.

It was my father.

I stared at the screen.

Then answered.

“What?”

His voice sounded tired.

“Where are you?”

“Why?”

“Because someone broke into my house.”

I froze.

“What?”

“They were looking for something.”

My grip tightened.

“What did they take?”

A pause.

Then:

“Emily’s files.”

My stomach dropped.

“How did they know about them?”

Silence.

“Dad.”

Finally, he whispered:

“Because I told someone.”

My anger exploded.

“You told who?”

His voice shook.

“Tabitha.”

I closed my eyes.

I felt sick.

My own sister.

Again.

“Why?”

“She threatened me.”

“With what?”

My father took a shaky breath.

“She said if I didn’t help her, she would reveal what happened the night Emily died.”

The world went quiet.

“What happened that night?”

My father didn’t answer.

And then I heard something in the background.

A woman’s voice.

Tabitha.

She was there.

“Dad?”

The call disconnected.

I stared at my phone.

Clara looked at me.

“What happened?”

I whispered:

“My father wasn’t alone.”

I looked toward the road.

“She’s with him.”

“Who?”

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