Chapter 12: The Betrayal I Never Saw Coming
I slowly lowered the phone.
Rachel was driving.
She didn’t notice my expression.
Or maybe she did.
Because her hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“Emily?””
I stared at her.
“Daniel says you deleted my mother’s recording.””
The car became silent.
Rachel’s face changed.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Pain.
That was worse.
“Emily…”
“Tell me I’m wrong.””
She didn’t.
My heart sank.
“How long?””
Rachel pulled the car over.
She turned off the engine.
“I never wanted you involved.””
“That’s not an answer.””
She looked down.
“I was your mother’s investigator.””
“You were also Daniel’s assistant?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Rachel took a deep breath.
“Because your mother needed someone she could trust.””
“But she suspected you.””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
“Why?””
“Because I was the only person who knew everything.””
I stared at her.
“Everything?””
Rachel nodded.
“Your mother hired me to investigate Vanessa. During that investigation, I discovered something bigger.””
“Victor?””
“Yes.””
“And my father?””
“No.””
Her answer was immediate.
I noticed.
“You still believe him?””
“I believe he made mistakes.””
“That’s what everyone says.””
Rachel looked at me.
“Emily, your father was weak. But Vanessa was dangerous.””
I looked away.
“Then why did Daniel say you deleted the recording?””
Rachel was silent.
Finally, she reached into her bag.
And pulled out a small device.
My breath caught.
“The recording.””
She nodded.
“I never deleted it.””
“Then why did Daniel think you did?””
“Because I wanted to see who would panic.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Rachel looked exhausted.
“Your mother suspected someone would try to destroy the recording. So she made a copy.””
“Where?””
Rachel held up the device.
“With me.””
I didn’t know what to feel.
Anger.
Relief.
Betrayal.
All at once.
“You lied to me.””
“Yes.””
“Everyone keeps lying to me.””
Rachel looked at me.
“Because your mother asked us to.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone uses her name.””
“No.””
Rachel’s voice softened.
“Everyone loved her.””
That hurt.
Because I knew it was true.
Rachel handed me the device.
“Listen.””
I pressed play.
My mother’s voice filled the car.
“If Emily is hearing this, then things have gone wrong.””
I closed my eyes.
“I need her to understand something.””
A pause.
“The person who betrayed me was not the person everyone suspects.””
My heart raced.
“Vanessa was looking for my money. But she wasn’t the only one.””
The recording continued.
“She had help.””
I leaned closer.
“Someone who knew my accounts. Someone who knew my plans. Someone I trusted.””
Then my mother said a name.
The name that changed everything.
“Daniel.””
My eyes opened.
Rachel watched me carefully.
My mother’s voice continued.
“I’m sorry, Emily. Your father loved you. I know that. But love does not erase betrayal.””
I couldn’t breathe.
My father.
The man who claimed he was trying to protect me.
The man who said Vanessa forced him.
My mother knew.
She knew he was involved.
The recording ended.
No dramatic music.
No final warning.
Just silence.
Then Rachel spoke.
“Now you understand.””
I looked at her.
“No.””
She frowned.
“I understand that everyone betrayed her.””
My phone buzzed.
A new message.
Unknown number.
One sentence.
*YOU FOUND THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR FATHER. NOW FIND OUT WHAT HE DID THE NIGHT YOUR MOTHER DIED.*
I stared at the message.
Because suddenly, the biggest mystery wasn’t the money.
Or the car.
Or Vanessa.
May you like
It was the question I had never dared to ask.
What really happened on the night my mother died?
