Chapter 8: The Truth Sarah Buried
I read the email three times.
Not because I didn’t understand it.
Because I didn’t want to.
Sometimes your mind protects you from a truth by making you question whether you really saw it.
But there it was.
Emily’s words.
A warning.
A final attempt to stop something before it destroyed everyone.
*Sarah,*
*I know what happened the night of the accident.*
I continued.
*I know you were angry. I know you felt like I was standing between you and the life you wanted. But anger does not give anyone permission to make choices that hurt innocent people.*
My hands shook.
What choice?
What had Sarah done?
*You told me you only wanted Marcus to move forward. You told me you wanted Michael to have a mother.*
I swallowed.
*But Michael already had a mother. He just lost her.*
I stopped.
That sentence felt like Emily was speaking directly to me.
Then:
*The problem is not that you love Marcus. The problem is that you want the world to erase everything before you.*
I looked toward the stairs.
Michael was asleep.
At least I hoped he was.
I kept reading.
*I will not tell Marcus what happened unless I have to. I will not destroy the future he is trying to build. But I need you to understand something.*
The next line made my heart race.
*If anything happens to me, Marcus deserves the truth.*
I sat back.
Emily knew.
She knew something could happen.
And she was still trying to protect everyone.
The email ended with one final sentence.
*You can become part of Michael’s life, Sarah. But you cannot steal the person who gave him life.*
I closed the laptop.
Then I heard something behind me.
“You found it.””
I turned.
Michael stood in the hallway.
His face was pale.
“How long have you been there?””
“Long enough.””
I immediately stood.
“Michael—”
“No.””
He walked into the room.
“Don’t hide it from me.””
His voice cracked.
“Please.””
That word hurt.
Because he wasn’t demanding the truth.
He was begging for it.
I sat down.
“Your mom knew Sarah was struggling with accepting her.””
Michael nodded slowly.
“She knew.””
“Yes.””
“Did she hate her?””
“No.””
That surprised him.
“Why?””
“Because your mom wasn’t like that.””
Michael looked at the laptop.
“What did Sarah do?””
I hesitated.
And he saw it.
“Dad.””
I took a breath.
“I don’t know everything yet.””
“But you know something.””
I nodded.
“She was at the accident.””
Michael froze.
“What?””
“She was there before the ambulance.””
His face changed.
“Was she…”
“No.””
I answered quickly.
“I don’t know if she caused it.””
The words hung between us.
Michael looked terrified.
“But Mom thought something happened.””
“Yes.””
He sat down.
For several minutes, he just stared at the table.
Then he whispered:
“I always thought she died because of me.””
My heart broke.
“What?””
Michael looked up.
“I thought if I had been better, maybe things would have been different.””
I moved closer.
“Michael.””
“She was always tired. She was always sick. And then she died.””
His voice shook.
“I thought maybe I made her life harder.””
I grabbed his shoulders.
“Listen to me.””
He looked at me.
“Your mother loved you more than anything.””
“But—”
“No.””
My voice broke.
“Your mother’s last thoughts were about protecting you.””
He started crying.
The kind of crying he had hidden for years.
And I held him.
Not because I could fix what happened.
I couldn’t.
But because I could finally stop pretending nothing happened.
The next morning, Sarah called.
I almost didn’t answer.
But I needed answers.
“Hello.””
Silence.
Then:
“Marcus.””
Her voice sounded different.
Smaller.
“Where are you?””
“Why?””
“I need to talk to you.””
“We have nothing to talk about.””
“That’s not true.””
I closed my eyes.
“You lied.””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
“I lied.””
“About the box.””
“Yes.””
“The letters.””
“Yes.””
“The accident.””
Silence.
Then:
“Yes.””
My grip tightened.
“You admit it?””
“I admit I knew more than I told you.””
“Did you cause it?””
A long silence followed.
Too long.
“Sarah.””
“I didn’t mean for it to happen.””
My entire body went cold.
“What does that mean?””
Her breathing changed.
“I was angry.””
“Angry enough to follow her?””
No answer.
“Sarah.””
“I just wanted to talk.””
“About what?””
“You.””
My voice hardened.
“Emily was dying.””
“I know.””
“And you went to her?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Her voice broke.
“Because I thought if she understood I loved you, she would let go.””
I laughed bitterly.
“She was dying.””
“I know.””
“You wanted permission from a dying woman to replace her.””
“That’s not what I meant.””
“Then what did you mean?””
She cried.
For the first time, I heard regret.
But regret after destruction doesn’t erase the damage.
“I followed her because I wanted to talk.””
“And?””
“She got upset.””
“Why?””
“She told me I was wrong.””
I waited.
Then Sarah whispered:
“She said Michael would never accept me if I kept trying to erase his mother.””
The room went silent.
“What happened next?””
“I left.””
“Then why did Emily crash?””
Sarah started crying harder.
“I don’t know.””
But something in her voice told me she did.
I was about to speak when another voice interrupted.
A man.
In the background.
“Sarah?””
My blood ran cold.
I knew that voice.
Jordan.
Sarah wasn’t alone.
“Who is there?””
Silence.
Then the call ended.
I stared at the phone.
A minute later, a message arrived.
From Sarah.
*Please don’t ask Jordan what he saw.*
I froze.
May you like
Because now I knew.
Jordan had been there too.
