Chapter 5 - What Emily Hid
The examination began that night.
Emily was transferred under official supervision.
I watched the vehicle leave.
I wanted to follow.
Elena stopped me.
“Daniel.”
“I should be with her.”
“You need to be with your son.”
She was right.
I hated that she was right.
I went upstairs.
My son had finally fallen asleep.
His name was Noah.
Emily had chosen it.
I sat beside the crib and touched his tiny hand.
“I’m sorry.”
He slept.
“I should’ve been here.”
There was no answer.
Only breathing.
Then I noticed something.
A stuffed bear sat beside the crib.
I recognized it.
I had mailed it from Germany during transit.
Emily sent me a photograph when it arrived.
But the bear looked different.
One seam along its back had been opened and crudely restitched.
I picked it up.
Inside was something hard.
I found scissors.
Opened the seam.
A flash drive fell into my palm.
For several seconds, I simply stared at it.
Emily.
Of course.
She had known.
She had prepared.
I called Elena.
Ten minutes later, we opened the drive on an isolated laptop.
There were folders.
BANK.
TRUST.
MESSAGES.
AUDIO.
And one labeled DANIEL.
My hand hovered over it.
Elena looked at me.
“You sure?”
“No.”
I opened it anyway.
A video appeared.
Emily sat in our bedroom.
Pregnant.
Tired.
Alive.
My chest collapsed inward.
She looked directly into the camera.
“Daniel, if you’re watching this, something went wrong.”
I stopped breathing.
“I need you to know I tried to protect Noah.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I found records showing your mother has been taking money from the Mercer trust for years.”
Elena sat silently beside me.
“Caleb helped her.”
Emily continued.
“But I don’t think Caleb understands everything she’s done.”
Then Emily leaned closer.
“There’s someone else.”
Elena and I exchanged a glance.
“Someone at Riverside.”
The video continued.
“I don’t know his name.”
“But your mother keeps calling him Doctor H.”
Dr. Halpern.
The name Mother had given earlier.
Emily looked frightened now.
“She wants Noah delivered early.”
My stomach turned.
“She says it’s safer.”
“But my regular doctor says there’s no reason.”
Emily looked away from the camera.
Then back.
“If anything happens to me, don’t believe the first story they tell you.”
I closed my eyes.
Her next words nearly destroyed me.
“And Daniel?”
A small smile appeared.
“I know you’ll blame yourself.”
“You always do.”
“Don’t.”
“You were serving your country.”
“I was proud of you every single day.”
My vision blurred.
“Take care of our boy.”
“And find out what happened.”
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then Elena opened the AUDIO folder.
There were six recordings.
The final one had been made four days earlier.
We pressed play.
Emily’s voice.
Then Mother’s.
Then a man.
And finally...
Caleb screaming.
“Mom, stop!”
A crash followed.
May you like
Emily cried out.
Then the recording abruptly ended.
