Chapter 7: The Recording He Never Wanted Me to Hear
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
The flash drive sat in my palm.
A tiny piece of plastic.
Something so small that it should have been meaningless.
But somehow, it felt heavier than anything I had ever held.
Because inside it was the truth.
Not Marcus’s version.
Not Elena’s.
Not Rachel’s.
Not even mine.
The truth.
Marcus stepped forward.
“Nia.””
I looked up.
His expression was different now.
Not angry.
Not defensive.
Afraid.
“What?”” I asked.
“Before you listen to that…”
I almost smiled.
“Before I listen?””
He nodded.
“There are things you don’t understand.””
I looked at the flash drive.
Then back at him.
“You’ve been saying that all day.””
“I’m serious.””
“So am I.””
My voice was quiet.
“And every time you told me I didn’t understand, it was because you knew something I didn’t.””
He looked away.
I continued.
“I’m done being the last person in the room to know my own life.””
Rachel nodded slightly.
Claire remained silent.
But I noticed something.
Nobody defended Marcus.
Not even him.
Because he knew.
Whatever was on that recording mattered.
I walked to the living room table and opened my laptop.
My hands were shaking as I plugged in the flash drive.
Marcus moved toward me.
“Nia, please.””
I stopped.
Not because I believed him.
Because I wanted to hear why.
“Why are you asking me not to?””
He froze.
“Because it will hurt you.””
I stared at him.
“Marcus.””
He swallowed.
“Because I never wanted you involved in this.””
I laughed softly.
“But I already am.””
The screen opened.
One audio file appeared.
No title.
Just a date.
Five years ago.
The night before my wedding.
I looked at Marcus.
His face had lost all color.
I pressed play.
At first, there was only silence.
Then a woman’s voice.
Sophie.
I had never heard her speak before.
But I knew immediately.
Maybe because I had imagined her voice a thousand times.
Maybe because somehow, after everything, she felt familiar.
“Marcus, you need to listen to me.””
A younger Marcus answered.
“I’m listening.””
“You can’t keep doing this.””
A pause.
“I don’t know what you want me to do.””
“I want you to tell her.””
My breathing stopped.
Tell her.
The word hung in the room.
Marcus’s voice became tense.
“No.””
Sophie sounded exhausted.
“She deserves to know.””
“She doesn’t need to be dragged into this.””
“She’s already in it.””
A long silence followed.
Then Marcus said something that made my stomach turn.
“She doesn’t know anything.””
Sophie replied:
“That’s exactly why she’s in danger.””
I looked at Marcus.
He looked at the floor.
I continued listening.
“You think you can build a new life and pretend nothing happened,” Sophie said.
“But people don’t disappear because you stop talking about them.””
Marcus sighed.
“You don’t understand.””
“No, Marcus. I understand perfectly.””
Her voice shook.
“You’re not scared of losing Nia.””
Silence.
“You’re scared she’ll find out who you really are.””
I felt my chest tighten.
Marcus on the recording didn’t answer.
And somehow, that was the answer.
Sophie continued.
“I saw the documents.””
My heart raced.
“The ones from your father’s office.””
“You don’t know what you saw.””
“I know enough.””
“You need to let this go.””
“No.””
Her voice became stronger.
“I won’t let you turn another person into a shield.””
Another person.
A shield.
I looked at Claire.
Then Rachel.
How many people had Marcus used without them knowing?
The recording continued.
“You don’t love her,” Sophie said.
A painful silence.
Then Marcus whispered:
“Don’t say that.””
“Then prove me wrong.””
“I care about her.””
“Caring about someone is not the same as loving them.””
My eyes burned.
Because those words landed somewhere deep.
I had spent years wondering if I was enough.
If I was too demanding.
If I expected too much.
But maybe the problem was never me.
Maybe I had been asking for honesty from someone who had built his entire life around avoiding it.
The recording continued.
“She thinks you saved her that night.””
Marcus’s voice changed.
“She thinks you were some kind of hero.””
I closed my eyes.
Sophie knew.
She knew the story I believed.
“You let her believe that.””
“I protected her.””
“No.””
Sophie’s voice became quiet.
“You protected yourself.””
A chair moved.
Then Marcus spoke.
“What do you want?””
“I want you to tell her everything before you marry her.””
“No.””
“Marcus.””
“No.””
His voice was sharper now.
“You don’t understand what happens if she knows.””
“What happens?””
Silence.
Then:
“She’ll leave.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because after everything, that was what mattered to him.
Not the truth.
Not the people he hurt.
Not the damage.
Losing me.
Sophie spoke again.
“She should.””
The recording went silent.
Then a sound.
A door closing.
The audio ended.
Nobody moved.
I stared at the laptop screen.
The file was over.
But my life felt like it had just begun falling apart.
Marcus was the first person to speak.
“Nia…”
I closed the laptop.
“No.””
He stopped.
“I need to explain.””
“No.””
My voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
“You need to answer.””
He looked at me.
“Did you know who I was when you met me?””
“Yes.””
The answer came immediately.
No hesitation.
No excuse.
Just yes.
I nodded.
“And you still pretended it was random.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked down.
“Because I needed someone I could trust.””
I stared.
“Trust?””
The word sounded ridiculous.
“You lied to me because you trusted me?””
“I was trying to protect you.””
“You keep saying that.””
My eyes filled with tears.
“But every time you say it, it means the opposite.””
Marcus looked devastated.
“I didn’t know what to do.””
“You could have told me the truth.””
“I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
He looked at me.
“Of being alone.””
That answer hurt.
Because for one second, I saw the person I had fallen in love with.
Not the liar.
Not the manipulator.
The broken man underneath.
And then I remembered.
Broken people could still break others.
“You were afraid of being alone,” I whispered.
He nodded.
“So you made sure everyone else was.””
Silence.
Rachel looked away.
Claire wiped a tear from her cheek.
I turned to Claire.
“Did Sophie die because of this?””
Her expression changed.
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
“She died in the accident.””
“Was Marcus there?””
Claire looked at him.
“No.””
Marcus answered.
“I wasn’t.””
“But you were nearby.””
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I stood.
“I need air.””
Marcus followed.
“Nia.””
I turned around.
“Don’t.””
He stopped.
“Please.””
I looked at him.
“For five years, I slept beside a stranger.””
His face fell.
“I was never a stranger.””
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“You were.””
I walked outside.
The night air hit my face.
I stood on the porch, trying to understand how a person could have a whole life collapse in one day.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
My heart froze.
Because after everything I had learned, I knew one thing.
Unknown numbers were no longer random.
I opened it.
A photo appeared.
It was Marcus.
But not from five years ago.
From yesterday.
He was standing outside a building.
With a man I didn’t recognize.
Underneath the photo was one sentence.
*You’re finally seeing the truth about Marcus. But you still don’t know what he did after Sophie died.*
My hands trembled.
Another message appeared.
*Ask him about the woman in the hospital records.*
I looked through the window.
Marcus was inside.
Watching me.
And for the first time, I wondered if the biggest secret in my marriage…
May you like
Wasn’t what happened before I met him.
But what happened after.
